Duality
by Chrissy Sky
Summary: Sasuke’s first mission since Orochimaru and he’s still attacked by crossdressers and really big monsters. SasuNaru Yaoi. Discontinued for possible revision.
1. The Cross Dressing Deviant Double

Title: Duality

Series: Naruto

Rating: R Overall.

Pairings: Naruto/Sasuke, Sai/OMC.

Disclaimer: Naruto © 2002 Masashi Kishimoto / GE / Viz Media / Shounen Jump, et al. This is a work of fan fiction and in no way done for profit.

Summery: Sasuke's first mission back from Orochimaru and he's still attacked by cross-dressers and really big monsters.

**Warnings:** Original characters. Yaoi. Crack. Lots and lots of crack. Pseudo-angst?

Notes: Sekai, like Sasuke, is named after one of the ten Sanada Juyushi. It's a reference to Samurai Deeper Kyo. As is his wardrobe.

Haruko is referencing FLCL. I think it means 'spring child.'

Yume means 'Dream' and is not from an anime specifically, it just ties into her power.

Kain has a western name for a reason. I'll let you know what it is as soon as I figure it out myself.

Saburo was named by Yhaun and means "third son."

---

Chapter One: The Cross-Dressing, Deviant Double

---

His stomach aching for food reminded him he was still human.

Sometimes, Uchiha Sasuke wondered. Then little things like this would happen and he'd remember.

Unpacking the bento Sakura had given him, he sat underneath the shade of a tree to eat. It had been nearly a month since he'd turned against Orochimaru, helping Naruto and the others defeat him. In that time, it had been touch and go, but things had more or less settled into a modicum of stability. Things couldn't ever go back to the way they had been before, but that suited Sasuke just fine. He wasn't thirteen years old after all.

The person whose trust he hadn't had to earn back was, surprisingly enough, Naruto's.

Sasuke smiled, since he was alone and no one could see it. _He'll never change. He's still the same. _

One minute they had been frantically fighting each other, worse than it had been three years previous. The next they had ganged up on Orochimaru, who had been watching the battle from nearby. They had looked into each other's eyes, and Naruto had known—had seen the truth in his heart. It had been something truly beyond explanation, yet it had happened all the same. And now, the idiot blond expected things to go back to how they'd been.

The fact that he was accepted back so readily, forgiven so easily, Sasuke was eternally grateful for. More than he could ever say. He had no regrets about the path he'd chosen, save one. But it hadn't been an issue after all.

Even so, Sasuke didn't want things to go back the way they'd been. Naruto may not have changed at all, but he _had_.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Naruto had changed a little. He'd grown a little taller, had gotten a lot stronger, and…

Sasuke sighed and quickly finished his meal. This was not the time to be thinking about that.

This was his first mission since being taken off the almost-solitary confinement he'd been under since returning to Konoha. (Which he supposed was fair punishment, considering he'd expected a whole lot worse. While he did have some people's scorn and contempt for his betrayal, the current Hokage seemed to be withholding judgment for the time being. Hence his current mission.)

This was to prove himself. He had been given a message to deliver to the Sand's Hokage, Gaara—recently recovered from his run-in with the Akatsuki months prior—on his own. No one was watching him. Sasuke could figuratively feel everyone collectively holding their breaths to see what he would do as he'd left. It had basically been a 'get out of jail free' card, he supposed. Tsunade was giving him the opportunity to run off again if he so chose. Kakashi had remarked, "If you love something, you set it free. If it's really yours, it'll come back."

Sasuke snorted. Naruto hadn't liked it much. He'd wanted to tag along, reminding everyone that the Akatsuki were still out there, probably alluding silently to the fact that Sasuke had yet to go after his brother.

"Don't worry," he'd told the idiot before turning to leave. He hadn't waited for Naruto's reaction, but he didn't think it had made the blond ninja feel anymore confident about the situation.

It wasn't his job to comfort Naruto's insecurities. He had to work that out for himself. Right now, Sasuke had his hands full just taking care of himself.

_Not that it stops you from wishing you _could_ comfort him,_ a treacherous voice in his head reminded.

Fuming quietly, Sasuke repacked his bento box and prepared to continue his journey home. Of course he'd contemplated, momentarily, just forgetting it all and running off instead. But it was more amusing to return just to piss all his critics off.

He prepared to head back into the trees when his senses flared. It seemed he wasn't quite as alone as he'd thought. Silently, he reached up to touch the pommel of his katana, Kusanagi. (Having discarded Orochimaru's signature outfit, Sasuke was now clothed in normal shinobi wear. Still, he kept the katana, having grown used to its presence after three years of training with it.)

"Come out," he said in an uninterested tone. "My mission was really boring and I could use the entertainment."

Someone giggled above him. Sasuke twisted around but couldn't immediately identify the source. He activated his Sharingan in response.

"Oh, so that's the Sharingan," said the voice, sounding both pleased and fascinated. "It really glows too! That's very pretty."

It wasn't a voice Sasuke was familiar with, and it sounded neither feminine nor masculine. The fact that the person knew what the Sharingan was didn't impress him much either. The comment about it being 'pretty' was definitely irritating though. _This guy's got a death wish. _"I said come out!"

"Of course." The wind picked up for a moment, and seemingly out of thin air jumped a young woman. She was pretty in an exotic fashion, with her brown skin and shoulder-length black hair. She wore a short blue dress, common and designed for fighting, with a pair of small black shorts underneath. Her smile was a mix of anticipation and amusement. "Hello, Sasuke-kun. I've waited a long time to meet you."

This, too, did not perturb him. Being Orochimaru's 'favorite' had made him a target before in the past. Sasuke smirked. "Nice genjutsu."

Her smile grew. "Oh? What gave it away?"

"It's too strong. You're putting too much energy into it."

"Hmm." She pouted thoughtfully. "I hadn't noticed that before, actually." She smiled again just as quickly as her pout had appeared. "Thank you! Those eyes of yours are very useful."

Sasuke gripped the handle of his katana tightly._ If she thinks being friendly is going to make me lower my guard, she's dead wrong._ "Who are you? I only ask because I'd like to know the name of the person I'm about to kill."

She giggled again before bowing formally. "I am Haruko. Nice to meet you." She stood up straighter, the anticipation returning to her eyes. "Shall we begin?"

Not waiting for his answer, she pulled out a talisman and yelled, "FIRE!"

Sasuke dodged the resulting fireball easily, unsheathed his blade and came at her. _A talisman user? I didn't think they existed anymore…_

She dodged, curving her body in the air unnaturally, and attempted a kick at his head with surprising speed.

Sasuke caught her leg and swung her at a nearby tree, which she hit and left a satisfying dent on. She rolled when she hit the ground and landed on one knee, coughing up a small amount of blood.

She smirked at him as she wiped her chin. "You don't disappoint."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he finally saw it. Though it was invisible to the naked eye, the girl actually had talismans covering her entire body. "You shielded most of the impact."

She stood back up with a grin. "It still broke through though!" she told him cheerfully, as if encouraging him.

The boy grunted and returned her fireball from earlier. "Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Haruko jumped at the last minute, rolling to the side and getting back on her feet quickly. She gazed at the now smoldering plant life quizzically. "Wow… That's good. I'll have to pull out the big guns now." She put her hands together and actually performed a jutsu, one of which had no name. "Ha!" was all she said. (1)

Sasuke watched as the chakra swirled around her form, growing steadily. The currents were not coming from her body, nor from the talismans, but from the surrounding plant life.

_Is she… pulling in life energy and converting it to chakra?_

She attacked quicker than before, matching his speed perfectly—something that even Naruto had trouble keeping up with now. Her fighting style was simple and, like him, she used a series of kicks primarily. He landed blows, but most of the impacts were blocked by the talismans and she could keep going. Her own hits were nothing spectacular though. It was almost like she was trying to wear him down.

_Or is she just not fighting seriously?_ He wondered, watching her smile.

She was enjoying this.

Tired of playing this game, Sasuke finally got in a substantial blow. This time when she hit a tree, she didn't get back up. The sudden surge of chakra drained away as quickly as it had come and she coughed, no longer grinning.

_Now let's see what you really look like._ Sasuke brought his hands together and dispelled the genjutsu.

The dark skin gave way to a paler, more golden tone. Brown hair inked away to blond. Instead of dark brown eyes, deep blue eyes stared up at Sasuke. Eyes he knew very well.

"Naruto?!"

She—no,_ he_, the breasts had been a part of the illusion as well—grinned cheekily at him. "Do I look like Naruto?" he asked, seeming amused once more.

Sasuke looked more closely and immediately saw the differences. The body beneath the blue dress was more slender than Naruto's, less muscular. The blond hair was also longer than Naruto's, to just above the shoulders. But it was the _same_ type of blond, the same blue eyes, and the same face!

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded angrily.

The boy laughed, suddenly looking more nervous than before. "Ah, I'd love to tell you, but it'll have to wait. We have company."

Sasuke felt the strong surge of chakra just before he finished speaking and turned around part way, just in time to see a gigantic crab break through the trees. Its black, beady eyes fixed on the blue-clad boy. Sasuke recognized a summoned beast when he saw one. But who had summoned it? Not the blond boy, he'd been watching him, unless he had done it beforehand. It didn't seem likely given how afraid he had suddenly become.

"YOU," boomed the giant demon crab.

The Naruto look-alike gave a frightful squeak. He was terrified. "Hey there, big fella. I don't suppose it'll do any good to say I haven't eaten anything in the past two days, would it?"

"NO," said the crab. "MY MASTER HAS FINALLY GIVEN ME PERMISSION TO DEVOUR YOU, AND THAT I SHALL, ALONG WITH ANYONE THAT'S WITH YOU."

Sasuke growled quietly. _My first mission since Orochimaru and I _still_ get attacked by cross-dressers and really big monsters._ If there was a god, Sasuke knew he was being laughed at right now.

"Aw, come on!" shouted the boy in a dress, looking truly frantic now. "At least give me a head start! This is unfair!"

"HOLD STILL, DINNER. IT WON'T HURT. **MUCH**."

Its massive claw came crashing down and met nothing but dirt.

"You saved me." The boy blinked as Sasuke sat him down some distance away, bewildered.

Sasuke cursed softly. "Don't let it go to your head." He brought his hands together, fingers moving swiftly in the familiar gestures.

The blond smiled widely, knowingly. "It's because I look like him, right?"

"Shut up."

"That's so cute!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sasuke's summoned snake appeared before them then. It was Manda, the boss snake, favored by Orochimaru.

"OHHH, IT'S THE BOY WHO KILLED THAT ASSHOLE OROCHIMARU," said Manda when he caught sight of Sasuke crouching on the ground. "HEH. WELL, WHAT DO YOU WANT? I'M BUSY."

Sasuke snorted. "See that big crab behind you? Kill it."

"OH FINE. BUT I WANT TO EAT THAT LITTLE BLOND RUNT AS PAYMENT."

"That's fine," Sasuke readily agreed.

The blond in question's jaw dropped. "OI! I'm standing right here!" He sulked, defeated. "This is unfair. No matter what happens, the outcome is the same—I'm still someone's dinner."

"You should have thought of that before attacking me," Sasuke snapped.

The boy pouted at him.

He and the boy watched the two gargantuan beasts battle, the blond giving an amazed whistle that was nearly lost in the commotion.

Then, something else unexpected happened. The resulting battle shook the earth as the snake and the crab grappled, disturbing a previously unknown cavern deep below the ground. Its foundations gave way and the earth fell underneath the two boys. Neither had time to react and went tumbling down.

-

Far above in the air, a tall, lean figure watched the two disappear into the ground. He waved his hand and the two fighting beasts were gone as well.

The man smirked darkly. "Well played, my apprentice."

-

Sasuke managed to grab the blond again on the way down. They landed in an underground stream and were immediately caught up in the current. The other boy was unconscious—his head had knocked against something on the way down—and Sasuke grudgingly kept his head above water so he wouldn't drown.

He wondered irritably to himself why he was helping someone who he'd been fighting with just moments before.

_Because he wasn't trying to kill me, _his mind immediately reminded. _And if he dies now, I won't find out what the hell all this is about. _

It _wasn't_ because he looked like Naruto.

Not at all.

The stream slowed down and opened up to a brook that flowed out of the mouth of a cave. Crawling out, the blond boy flung over his shoulder, Sasuke looked around to get his bearings. Thankfully he didn't appear to be too far from Konoha. He was racing through the trees in a matter a seconds.

-

Uzumaki Naruto was pissed off.

Mere words were insufficient to describe his rage.

Already he had run into three people—Shikimaru, Kiba, and Neji—all with the same story.

Shikimaru had been first. "Oi, didn't Sasuke just take you unconscious to the hospital? And what was with the dress?"

All three said they saw the same thing.

Kiba had laughed, loudly.

"I didn't think Uchiha went in for pranks," Neji had added. "Seems rather beneath him. Did you do something to piss him off again?"

"No!" Naruto had cried, and frankly he didn't care if he had.

Sasuke would _pay_ for this!

_Damn it, I'm the only one allowed to pull pranks, Sasuke! You jerk!_

So he raced toward the hospital, leaving a long trail of dust in his path. Of course, just to make it worse, he ran into Sai on the way, who was confused to see him already out of the hospital.

"I never WENT to the hospital!" Naruto complained, then amended, "At least not lately. Definitely not today! That bastard is trying to make me look bad in front of everyone!" To think, he'd actually been hoping Sasuke would return and not run off again; now he just wanted to kick his ass. "What are you doing anyway, Sai?" In fact, he hadn't seen a lot of Sai since Sasuke had returned and Naruto wondered if he had gone back to working with the ANBU.

"I came to see if you remembered to tuck your penis in," Sai explained matter-of-factly. "It was a really small dress."

"What is it with you and penises?! Never mind that, I'm gonna KILL Sasuke!"

Inside the hospital they ran into Sakura, who had come running as well when she'd heard the story, afraid that Naruto and Sasuke had been fighting again (and, yes, she was a little curious about the dress part). Naruto filled her in on the truth as they made their way to the room the nurse pointed them toward.

Sakura frowned. "So, Sasuke-kun created a shadow clone of you, put it in a dress and bought it here just for a prank? That doesn't sound right… Besides, Sasuke-kun wouldn't want to make himself look bad, since his actions are still being monitored."

"I'm gonna KILL him!" Naruto announced again, and Sakura and Sai had to hurry to keep up with him.

They found the Uchiha leaning against the wall outside the room. He didn't look surprised to see them walk up (though there generally wasn't a lot of expression on Sasuke's face these days anyway).

Naruto reared on him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "WHAT THE HELL, SASUKE?! WHY ARE YOU TELLING EVERYONE THAT YOU DRAGGED ME TO THE HOSPITAL, UNCONSCIOUS AND WEARING A DRESS?!"

"I didn't," Sasuke replied nonplussed, gripping Naruto's wrists lightly and pulling them away from his shirt as the blond let go. He pointed toward the door he was standing beside. "You have a cross-dressing, deviant double."

The other three ninja peeked inside to see the blond sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed, his head wound bandaged and undisturbed by Naruto's shouts. All three saw the likeness.

"It's uncanny," Sai murmured.

"Who is that?" Sakura asked, turning back to Sasuke.

He shrugged. "Hell if I know. He attacked me for no reason, and then we were both attacked by a giant crab. He passed out and I brought him with me."

"…A crab?" Naruto repeated, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Don't look at me like that. You summon frogs and I summon snakes. What's so different about a crab?"

"But… it's a _crab_…"

Just then, the Fifth Hokage came strolling in, trailed closely by Shizune. Tsunade spared them all a glance before her gaze fixed on Sasuke. Under the circumstances, she didn't mention that she was glad he'd come back home after all. "Report," she said instead, tersely.

Sasuke nodded and started from the beginning.

-

_He dreamed of the same thing he dreamed every night._

_Smiling faces of people who were glad to see him. People that he loved and who loved him in return._

-

Shizune came back with the written report done by the medic-nin who had treated the blond boy.

"Minor abrasions to torso, arms, and legs," she summarized. "Heavy bruises on his back. Head injury, no concussion. And drained chakra."

Tsunade looked at Sasuke. "I assume that's from your fight."

Sasuke nodded apathetically. The condition of his attacker left him unconcerned. "That chakra conversion technique increased his normal capacity, but it must leave him incredibly drained when it's deactivated. It's possible that if he used it too much, it would leave him drained completely."

"And he'd die right?" Naruto asked, eyes wide from all that he had heard.

"Yeah," Tsunade answered, nodding soberly. "That's a heavy drawback. As for the contents of his bag," she added, "there isn't much to go by either." Along with weapons, blank talisman paper, and other necessities, there were two change of clothes—another blue dress with a longer skirt and an ordinary shinobi uniform.

"Other than he's a deviant," Sasuke said, eyeing the blue dress distastefully.

Then Kakashi chose to make his entrance, walking up to them and giving a customary wave. "Yo."

"You're late," Tsunade told him, though there wasn't much feeling behind it. Hatake Kakashi was always late.

After he was caught up on the situation, the masked ninja looked in on the sleeping boy as well. His one visible eye looked a little surprised. "Hmm…" He turned back to the Fifth Hokage. "You don't think…?" Glancing at Naruto quickly, he left his question hanging, figuring she would catch his meaning.

Tsunade shook her head slowly, a troubled frown on his face. "I don't know what to think right now."

"There's one way to find out," Kakashi said after a moment's thought. "The kid had a birthmark."

"Huh?" Naruto spoke as Kakashi walked closer to the sleeping boy. "What's going on? What are you doing, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Just confirming something." On the blond's left side, Kakashi turned his arm slightly and lifted up the sleeve of the dress. Underneath, in the juncture between the armpit and chest, was a small, circle-shaped birthmark. Kakashi's visible eye widened in shock. "No way…"

Tsunade didn't need to ask if that was the birthmark Kakashi had been talking about. "Well how about that. Jiraiya always said that body you found was a fake…"

Kakashi nodded silently. _After all this time, he's come back?_

"What? What?" Naruto asked excitedly. "What's going on?! Who is that guy and why does he look like me?"

"There's a strong family resemblance, huh?" Kakashi remarked casually, as if what he was saying wasn't the startling revelation for Naruto that it was.

Naruto stared up at him. "… Huh?!"

"It would appear that this guy's your dead big brother," said the gray-haired man.

"My… My big brother?" Naruto's voice grew small. He'd never been told anything about his dead family, let alone the fact that he'd had a brother. A brother that clearly was not dead at the moment. He stared at the figure in bed, speechless, a strong, nameless hurt building in his chest. A longing for something he'd thought he'd never really have. But he was still confused, another part of his mind wanting to disbelieve the entire thing. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

Kakashi tried to calm Naruto down. Sakura glanced at Sasuke to see what he thought of all this, only to see a hard look in his eyes, as if he were just barely reigning in on his anger. Sakura knew he was thinking about Itachi and swallowed worriedly.

Before anything else could be said, however, the sleeper slowly awakened. Blue eyes fluttered open gradually and looked at the ceiling blankly. Then, he spoke, voice slurred from slumber.

"… Should I look for missing underwear first, or missing organs?" he asked.

"Eh?" Naruto returned.

"Sometimes people wake up to find that their organs have been removed without their knowledge and sold on the black market." Slowly, the boy sat up and yawned, stretching languidly. Then he opened his eyes again and saw everyone standing in the room. His gaze stayed on Naruto, those similar blue eyes widening.

"Oh_ geez_," said the boy, and he flopped back onto the mattress with a pained expression. "I finally see him, after all this time, and the first thing I say to him is something weird! I totally suck." He pouted.

"You're Sekai, right?" Kakashi asked, though his suspicions had already been confirmed. Now, to find out where the kid had been all this time since the night the Kyuubi attacked…

The boy blinked at him inquisitively, sitting up once more. "Yeah. How did you know?"

Kakashi smiled. "I met you when you were very little."

"Oh! Sorry, I don't remember you." Then the blond looked at him more closely. "A masked man, huh? You must be Kakashi." He beamed widely and giggled. "You're cuter than I thought you'd be."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow, a "deer caught in headlights" expression on his face, visible despite the mask. "…Cute?"

The blond nodded cheerfully. "I like older men though, so I'm not really surprised."

Sasuke snorted. _It figures that the one I definitely _don't_ want is the one I'd have a better chance with. _"Can someone explain what the hell is going on?"

"Yes," Sai spoke up. "We're all rather in the dark at the moment."

Sakura and Naruto nodded, chorusing, "Yeah!"

"Ah, sorry. I'll explain," the blond answered, blushing. He smiled at Naruto shyly. "Hi. My name's Uzumaki Sekai. That's what I should have said to you earlier."

Naruto's eyes were wide, still processing what he was being told. "So… you're my…"

Sekai nodded, beaming wider in pleasure. "I'm your older brother."

"Really?!"

"Really really. A thousand reallys."

Then, Naruto found himself unable to doubt what he was being told. For some reason, he couldn't help but believe the other blond. There was just such sincerity there in his eyes and voice. It was true that he had been fooled by people before, but that was when he was twelve. He was sixteen now and felt he knew better.

Naruto looked at Kakashi again. "Why didn't anybody tell me?!"

"Oh?" Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "Well, I thought you knew."

Realizing he was being teased, tears actually formed in Naruto's eyes. "But… But…" Tsunade and Kakashi had both known. How could they have kept this a secret from him for so long? All his life, he'd never known he might have a real brother out there, somewhere.

"Hey." Sekai reached and took Naruto's hand in his, squeezing firmly, giving the younger boy a large, comforting grin. "It's alright, okay? No worries."

Naruto smiled back slowly, like the dawn rising. The feeling in his chest surged. No matter what was said or how suspicious everyone was of him, from that moment on, Sekai was endeared to him from this show of kindness.

Sekai's smile faltered slightly, eyes downcast. "And… I've wanted to say this too for a long time, so please hear me out," he spoke softly. "I thought you were dead with mom and dad. That's what _he_ told me. And I believed him. I suppose you could say that I was too young to know any better, but the fact remains that because I did, you grew up alone. As your big brother that, to me, is the biggest failure of my life. It's my deepest regret." He met Naruto's gaze again, smiling sadly. "But I want you to know that since the first day I heard about you, I've loved you. And I'm very proud of you."

Naruto stared. "You're… proud of me?" He thought he might _really_ cry this time.

Sekai nodded readily. "More than anything. You've become a great person. I know our dad would be proud too."

"Dad?"

"Sheesh, they didn't tell you that either? The Fourth Hokage."

"Eh?!" That great ninja had been his father? Naruto could hardly believe this either. At the same time, his mind was avidly taking all this new information in, with more intensity than he took in jutsu lessons. This just seemed more important than that. It was something that, deep down, he'd always craved to know. He'd just never had the courage to ask before.

Kakashi nodded, amused. "It's true."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?! KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

"Ah, well… It has a little to do with why Sekai-kun has been missing for so long, I would think."

Sekai nodded. "That makes sense. You didn't want Kain to figure out that the Fourth had two children. At least not before security could be raised."

"Who's Kain?" Naruto asked.

"An enemy of our father," Sekai answered. He still had hold of Naruto's hand and smiled warmly when the other blond drew closer to the bed to sit beside him. "Let me start from the beginning. If you're confused then say so, 'kay? Not that I really need to tell you that." He laughed a little. "It was a little while after you were born, I guess. My memories are kind of fuzzy from back then; I was only two years old."

"So you're just two years older than me?"

"Yeah. I've always been small though, so we're probably about the same height. Anyway. It was on the night the Kyuubi attacked. Mom had died in childbirth with you, Naruto-nii."

"She did?" Naruto asked weakly, suddenly mourning the woman he'd never known and who had given her life to bring him into the world.

Sekai nodded sadly. He'd been living with the grief for a long time. It was worse for him though, since he had known her and still remembered her a little. "I was alone at the Hokage tower. There was so much commotion, people running around yelling orders, complete and utter havoc. The nurse was watching you. Nobody noticed me leave.

"I guess I must have been afraid, so I went looking for dad. I probably didn't understand what was going on, only that everyone was fighting. So I ran toward the battle. It was then that Kain grabbed me. When I woke up, he told me that you and dad were both dead, that he'd saved me." Sekai shrugged. "I was even grateful at the time, because I believed him."

Naruto frowned, seeing that look of guilt on the older boy's face again. "It wasn't your fault. You were just two, right? I would have believed him too."

Sekai didn't answer. Instead, he looked at Kakashi. "I don't know what happened after that. Only that dad sealed the Kyuubi inside of Naruto."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "You know about that?!"

Sekai flushed at his loud question. "One thing at a time. We need to tell the story in order."

"That's probably true." Kakashi's eyes were narrowed suspiciously. It was one thing to know who all of them were, but Sekai seemed to have an unordinary amount of familiarity with them all. There was more to this than they were hearing. _And if he was raised by Kain… He can't be trusted._ "When all the commotion died down, the nurse looking after you began searching for you frantically, but she was unable to find you. I searched and found the body of a small child, dismembered and burned. It was too badly damaged to be identified, even by smell. But even so, it was too convenient. The Third sent out a larger search party, but Kain's trail was long gone."

Sekai nodded, eyes suddenly hard. "He wouldn't have left it to chance that you could follow. That's the kind of guy my master is."

"So, what happened after that?" Naruto asked.

"Well, we kept traveling for a long time, never staying in one place for very long. Eventually we settled down in this little shack in the Water Country and he began training me to be a Talisman user." He smiled slightly. "I don't know very many jutsu. He did that on purpose, I guess. So that I wouldn't be stronger than him in case I ever found out the truth. Anyway, one day Kain just up and left. I was alone for days and just when I began to think I'd been abandoned, he returned with Yume."

"Yume?"

"Kain calls her a Dream Seer, though that's probably not its real name. She has an incredibly strong kekkei genkai—she can see things in her dreams. Things that are happening a far, far distance away. As long as she has someone connected to the event taking place, she can see just about anything. Kain had found her lost and alone, cursed and thrown away by her own parents. Apparently her bloodline limit is a recessive trait, something that her village thought of as a bad omen. I guess Kain thought she'd be a valuable asset though."

Kakashi and Tsunade exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing. The girl Yume's bloodline limit sounded like a variation of the Byakugen, but they'd never heard of it. That made them even more suspicious. It wasn't impossible, just unlikely.

"Yume and I grew up together. She was always my only friend. No matter how strict or cruel Kain was, she was the one bright spot in the world." Sekai's face softened as he spoke of the girl in question. "Then one day, she began dreaming about you, Naruto-nii."

"She did?" Naruto blinked, surprised.

Sekai smiled and nodded. "That's how I know all about you. That's how I knew you were alive. That's how I knew everything Kain had said was a lie. When I confronted him, Kain laughed and told me the truth—that at the time he'd taken me just to draw dad to him for one final battle. But then he'd heard that dad had died and so he'd decided to get his revenge anyway—by teaching me and making me the heir to his techniques.

"I was fifteen then, and still weak. But I swore that I'd get stronger, so that Yume and I could get away from him. We only devised our escape strategy recently." That hard look came back to Sekai's eyes. "And when I've surpassed him, then I'll avenge myself. I'll avenge the life he stole from me. The life I should have had with you."

Naruto felt something settle in the pit of his stomach, like a dead weight. Sekai's words and anger reminded him a lot of Sasuke's need to kill his brother. He looked at Sasuke to see him staring at Sekai with a blank expression. He wondered what his teammate was thinking about. Was he sympathizing with Sekai's feelings?

Slowly, Sekai's expression relaxed. He sighed heavily as if pushing his anger out of his body. "I… I've heard everything that's happened to you for the past four years, Naruto-nii. Since you became a genin. I've cheered and cried for you every step of the way. So, I already know you pretty well, yet you don't know me at all. If there's anything you want to know, just ask." He smiled cheerfully at Naruto.

Naruto smiled back, just as widely. "Yeah! I will!"

Sekai looked around the room again. "I know all of you too." His eyes landed on the grey-haired jounin. "Kakashi-sama." Kakashi's eye twitched at the honorific. Sekai went on. "The super cool Tsunade-sama and her assistant Shizune-san. The cute one with pink hair is Sakura-chan."

Sakura blushed and smiled politely. "Yes!"

"And I've already met Sasuke-kun." Sekai winked at him, and Sasuke's eye twitched in response. "Then last but certainly not least, Sai-kun."

"Ah, please don't use an honorific when addressing me," Sai said, not missing an opportunity to form new relationships. "Speak as familiarly as you want with me."

Sekai pouted. "But –kun is familiarly for me."

Sai looked uncomfortable with that. The book he'd read hadn't covered this possibility. "Oh…"

Sekai giggled and glanced at all of them again. "It's very nice to finally meet all of you." Then he seemed to remember something and frowned at Sasuke. "Hey, you're not still gonna feed me to your snake are you?"

"Depends on how annoying you get," Sasuke replied tonelessly, bored with all this meaningless talk.

Sekai pouted again. "So mean."

"You were gonna feed Sekai to your snake!?" Naruto demanded, his anger at his friend returning quickly.

Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe."

"Why, you—"

"Now, now, you two," Sakura interjected. "I'm sure Sasuke-kun was just kidding."

"No, I wasn't," Sasuke replied, glaring right back at Naruto.

"You! Stay away from my brother!"

"Believe me, that's going to be my strategy."

"So mean," Sekai said again.

"Deviant," Sasuke shot back.

"Evil kitty."

Sasuke stared. "_What?_"

"What do you mean 'what'?" Sekai smirked. "You look like an evil kitty."

Naruto laughed, tension releasing from his body. "He's right! He's right!"

"Both of you idiots shut up!" Sasuke yelled, thoroughly losing his cool.

Sakura's fist clenched as if she were trying very hard not to hit both Naruto and Sekai for insulting her Sasuke. Sai looked confused, not knowing how to respond to this situation. Kakashi was just amused.

"Okay, enough," Tsunade broke in, tired of the banter. "As amusing as this is, Sekai still needs to recover his strength. You can visit with him later, Naruto."

Naruto sulked and got off the bed to follow everyone else out of the room. At the door he paused, looking back at the other blond nervously. "Hey…"

Sekai smiled, just as hesitant to see Naruto leave. "I'll be here when you get back. Promise."

"… Can I call you 'aniki'?" Naruto asked, swallowing thickly.

Sekai was startled at first, but slowly he smiled again, looking like he wanted to cry now too. "That would make me incredibly happy."

Naruto grinned as bright as the sun. "Yeah! I'll see you later, Aniki!"

Sekai watched him go before settling back down in bed. He didn't go back to sleep right away, but he did lay his head down on the spot where Naruto had been sitting, a peace he'd never known settling over him.

TBC. Are Sekai's words true, or is his kind smile and flirtatious attitude masking hidden malice? And what kind of prank are the brothers planning to pull on Jiraiya?

1. Ha Wave. Which you might know already if you're a DBZ or Yu Yu Hakusho fan.

Endnotes: This is sort of exploring the duality in Naruto and Sasuke's natures. And apparently I couldn't do that without giving Naruto an older brother too. Heh. Well, given that an original character is so important to the story, I hope he doesn't come off too Sue-ish. If it makes you feel any better, I've more or less perfected the art of the Anti-Sue. More or less.

Sekai calls Naruto "Naruto-nii" because it's cute. And it's a sign of how he differs to his younger brother, thinking that Naruto is the stronger, more dominant brother. It's improper use of Japanese, but it makes sense to him.


	2. A Brand New Song

Chapter Two: A Brand New Song

"Have you been able to contact Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi asked.

Tsunade had called the former ANBU member into her office to discuss the Uzumaki Sekai situation. Since it involved a member of his team, and it was the first son of his dead teacher, Kakashi was one of the few people who knew what was happening.

_If only the kid had turned up sixteen years ago and not yesterday,_ Kakashi thought sadly. But the war with Orochimaru and fending off the Akatzuki had left them battle weary, fatigued but guarded. They could not lightly take the risk of someone who just might be more powerful than Orochimaru had been.

Tsunade glared off to the side, obviously disgruntled over her former teammate. "No. He's probably off doing '_research'_ for another one of his dirty books."

"Hmm…"

"Don't sound _too_ disinterested, Kakashi," said Tsunade sarcastically.

"Ah, sorry, Hokage-sama."

The blonde sighed. "Though I never met Kain myself, I've heard enough to know the danger we face having Sekai here. He can't be trusted."

"Naruto-kun trusts him already," Kakashi reminded.

Tsunade frowned deeply, sorrowfully. "I know." _It'll hurt Naruto to find out that his brother only came here to help his master conquer the village—or maybe even to kill him. Naruto's suffered so much already…_ "I only wish it would be easy enough to trust his mysterious power to make friends with anyone, but under the circumstances…"

"It's not that easy," Kakashi finished knowingly. He felt the same. Even though he'd been warning Naruto to not trust the boy, his student just wouldn't listen to him. He knew Jiraiya had had the same problems trying to convince Naruto to give up his quest to bring Sasuke home.

But just because that circumstance had turned out alright, didn't mean this would as well.

"I'm going to have a couple members of the ANBU squad tail Sekai. I can't afford to form an entire team for the task, because the Akatzuki are still a threat." Even though they hadn't made much noise since their plan to gather all the Jinchuuiki had failed. "They'll be reporting to you as well as myself, and if Sekai shows any sign of betrayal I want him brought in immediately. All of Team Seven's missions will be kept in or near the village for the time being."

Kakashi bowed and gave his affirmative before leaving.

-

Naruto cheerfully hummed a tune (the theme to some commercial he couldn't get out of his head) as he entered the hospital. Today was going to be fun. His big brother was being let out of the hospital and Naruto planned to show him around town, to see the sights and introduce him to his friends. He couldn't wait!

As he rounded the last corner that would get him to Sekai's room, he saw Kakashi standing there waiting for him.

Naruto smiled and ran up to him. "G'morning, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Good morning, Naruto-kun. Going to pick up Sekai-kun, right?"

"Yup! I'm gonna take him by Iruka-sensei's classroom before his students arrive, then we're gonna go to Ichiraku for ramen, then I'm gonna show him around Konoha." The words tumbled out of Naruto's mouth in one breath.

"Well, it's good to know you're keeping busy on your time off," Kakashi remarked before turning serious. "Listen, Naruto, I know you don't want to hear this but—"

Naruto knew what this was. He didn't want to hear it again. It would ruin his good mood. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, I gotta go—Aniki's waiting for me. See you!" He ran down the hallway toward his brother's room.

Kakashi shook his head sadly and turned to leave. "You… idiot…"

Naruto breezed passed the two ninja still standing guard outside Sekai's room—he didn't know who they were—and stuck his head inside. He found his brother immediately. Sekai was out of bed and packing his things back into his small bag. "Ready, Aniki?"

Sekai turned and beamed at him, securing the bag to his waist. "Yeah. Let's get out of here. I'm starting to get claustrophobic."

When they were outside, Sekai looked around at all the buildings and people, taking in sights, sounds, and smells he had long forgotten, yet seemed familiar on an almost cellular level. This is where he had been born after all. If things had turned out differently he would have grown up here.

"Home at last," he whispered.

Naruto grinned. "Yeah! Er, are you hungry?"

"Not yet. I'm used to having few meals," Sekai admitted with a blush. "Why?"

"Why are you used to having few meals?" Naruto wondered, not answering Sekai's question yet.

"Ah, well… My master was kind of forgetful." Sekai was still blushing lightly. "But I don't want to think about that man now. Where are we off to?" he asked, his cheerful demeanor slipping back into place with ease.

Naruto decided not to push the matter, though the thought that his brother might have been starved disturbed him greatly. He wondered in what other ways Kain had mistreated him. "First, I want you to meet Iruka-sensei. He was my—"

"Academy teacher."

"Oh… Right. I keep forgetting you know most of this already." Naruto blushed and scratched the back of his head.

Sekai reached out and ruffled his brother's thick blond hair fondly. "It's okay. Let's go! I want to meet your first sensei." Then he paused and his blush renewed. "Um, Naruto-nii?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you want your friends meeting me?" Sekai asked quietly, suddenly shy. "I mean, most people think I'm really weird…" He pointed at the short dress, which seemed to be the wardrobe he favored.

Naruto smiled encouragingly and grabbed Sekai's hand. "Don't worry! They think I'm pretty weird too."

But Sekai didn't look reassured. "Yes, but…"

The other blond slowed his steps, suddenly less sure himself. "I don't really know why you dress like that, but if you're too embarrassed, then you don't have to meet them."

Sekai blushed further. "It's not me. I'm worried _you'll_ be embarrassed by me."

"Oh!" Naruto laughed. "Hey, you're the one in the dress, not me." Though it hadn't crossed his mind actually, nor to even ask why Sekai wore a dress.

Sekai giggled. "That's true. Well, I warned you, so don't blame me if you change your mind."

"I won't!" Naruto continued on down the road. Now that he had talked about it though, Naruto began to notice that Sekai's outfit drew the occasional bewildered stare. "Ne, Aniki? Why _do_ you wear a dress?"

Sekai beamed. "Because I want to. It's cute."

"Oh… You like cute things, huh?"

"Yup!"

They managed to get there a few minutes before classes were scheduled to begin. Iruka was going over his lesson plans for the day when he startled by Naruto suddenly jumping in through the window.

"Naruto!" From the grinning, Iruka could tell that this visit hadn't been spurred by anything urgent, so he relaxed. "You know, when you were younger you used to jump _out_ of that window. I never thought I'd see you jumping _in_."

Naruto laughed softly. "Hee hee, yeah, I remember that! Hey Iruka-sensei, there's someone I want to introduce you to." He pointed out the window to the other blond.

"Oh? Who's this?"

Sekai hadn't entered yet. Jumping in through windows unasked seemed a little impolite. Of course when Naruto urged him to that was a different matter entirely. "Ah, it's nice to meet you, Iruka-sensei." He bowed formally once his feet touched the ground.

Iruka's eyes widened. "She looks just like you, Naruto!"

"_He_," Naruto corrected with a frown. "This is my brother, Sekai."

"Oh! Sorry about that." Iruka did a double-take as his memory caught up with him. _Oh that's right, the Fourth had another son before Naruto… But I thought he'd died…_

Sekai was blushing and smiling cutely. "No, it's quite alright. It happens all the time." In a softer tone he added, "Though it's usually when I have boobs…"

After making dinner plans for that evening and Naruto assuring Iruka that he'd fill him in on the whole story then, the brothers left the same way they came in.

"There _is_ a door you know!" Iruka shouted after them.

Sekai flushed and laughed as they ran across the academy grounds. "He must think we have no manners."

"We don't?" Naruto asked inquisitively and Sekai laughed more.

"He's cute. Is he dating anyone?"

"Eh?"

"Never mind. I'll ask tonight at dinner."

"Er… Okay…"

-

Unbeknownst to the newly reunited brothers, they were being watched as they dined on ramen at Ichiraku's.

Sasuke glared malevolently down from the rooftop of the building across the road. The two of them really did have a strong resemblance. It was worse when they were together.

They even had the same smile.

Now that he thought about it, Sasuke couldn't remember seeing Naruto having so much fun since… well, three years ago. Not even in the month since he'd returned. Whenever Naruto and he were together, they both became uncomfortable, the air between them strained. It was because the two of them wanted different things and neither knew how to back down.

Naruto may have forgiven him, but beyond that he didn't seem to know what to do. As if he was waiting for Sasuke to give him some sign as to how to approach.

Sasuke sighed quietly. "What are you doing here?"

Kakashi stepped closer and hid behind the water tank with him. "I was trying to sneak up on you."

"Hm."

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "So, you decided to keep an eye on him?"

"_No_," Sasuke snapped quietly, "I decided to make sure that idiotic deviant doesn't try anything."

Kakashi laughed, very softly. "That's what I meant."

Sasuke was glad he was facing away from Kakashi so his teacher wouldn't see his blush. "Oh."

_They may not be on the best of terms yet, but at least he's worried about Naruto._ Kakashi was heartened by that. Other than returning, Sasuke hadn't shown much interest in all of them. As if he were very carefully not reforming his ties to them so that he could leave again whenever he wished. This was a sign that that may not be exactly true.

Then, they were both surprised when Sekai suddenly stepped out from the ramen shop and looked straight at them. "Hey, if you're going to spy on me anyway, then you could join us!" the blue-clad boy shouted.

"Tch." Sasuke cursed, not at all liking that they'd been caught by the 'deviant.'

"Well, we might as well." Kakashi smiled, feeling as embarrassed at being caught as Sasuke did. He was a Jounin after all, and Sasuke was at least at the same level, even though he wasn't officially yet.

Naruto was glaring at them both as they entered. "I told you, Aniki's not trying to pull anything. He's okay!"

"It's alright, Naruto-nii," his brother assured, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Sasuke felt a growl rising up in his throat. They were already so comfortable with each other. If Sekai flicked Naruto's forehead, he's snap the pervert's finger off, Naruto's anger be damned.

"They just want to protect you," Sekai went on. "They don't want anything to happen to you because they love you. I appreciate that they feel so strongly about you."

Naruto had blushed and glanced at Sasuke at the word "love." "Well… they don't have to go overboard."

"It's not for _him_," Sasuke scoffed. "We're protecting the village."

This did not have the desired effect however. Sekai distinctly looked like he didn't believe him, and Naruto grinned when Sasuke said the word "village."

_Guess he's really home then,_ Naruto thought, a knot untying in his stomach.

"How did you know you were being watched anyway?" Sasuke asked sourly. There should have been no way that Sekai could have detected him.

Sekai grinned. "Actually, I just assumed someone was watching. I didn't actually know you were there for certain."

_So… we were fooled?_ That made Sasuke even more angry.

"Who's buying?" Kakashi asked as he sat down, quickly changing the subject.

Naruto nearly spat out his noodles. "Not me! I still have to buy our dinner tonight with Iruka-sensei."

"Doesn't Iruka-sensei usually pay for that?" Kakashi asked.

"Well… Yeah…"

"Well then, you can splurge a little on your friends."

"But…!"

"This reminds me," Sekai said suddenly, looking at the ceiling. "I need a job, since I'm so broke. I'm sponging off my little brother. That's no way for a man to live."

"You're a man?" Sasuke asked archly.

Sekai smirked and leaned closer. "Want me to prove it?" he asked lowly, eyes flashing.

Sasuke backed away, flushing from equal measures of anger and embarrassment. "Only if you want me to cut it off and make you a _real_ woman."

Sekai giggled and pulled back. "My. The kitty has claws."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Stop acting like one."

"Now, now, boys," Kakashi interjected. "Eat your noodles before they get cold."

Sekai's beam changed back to cheerful just as quickly. "Ne, Kakashi-sama?" he asked sweetly, just as the grey-haired man lifted up his mask partially to take another bite. "Are you seeing anyone?"

Kakashi nearly choked to death on the ramen. After much back-patting and a glass of water, he managed to croak out a strained, "No."

Sekai grinned even wider, if that were possible. His fist shot up in the air in a girlish victory pose as he cheered, "Chance!"

"Hey, Aniki?" Naruto asked, frowning curiously. "Why do you keep wondering if people are single?"

"Because I'm interested," Sekai said, as if it were obvious.

"So… you like guys?"

Sasuke snorted derisively. "You didn't pick that up before? Idiot."

Naruto's face grew warm. "Shut up! I didn't ask your opinion!"

"Well, it's not like I advertise it," Sekai said defensively.

Kakashi and Sasuke gave him a dubious look, not believing a word of it.

Sekai blushed and laughed nervously. "Heh, yeah, okay. Dumb thing to say." He turned back to his little brother to answer his question. "Yeah, I do. Does that bother you?" Worry crossed his expression, afraid that Naruto would say it did bother him.

"Er… No, I guess not." Naruto scratched the side of his head as he thought about it. No, it didn't bother him so much. Maybe it was because he didn't know where exactly he stood on the girl versus guy issue. "Um. How did you know?"

Sekai tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well… I met this really pretty boy once and was attracted to him. That was kind of a tip off, I think."

"Huh." Naruto fumbled with his chopsticks nervously. "But, is it strange to like both?" he asked quietly, only wanting Sekai to hear that part.

It didn't work of course. Sasuke and Kakashi heard perfectly.

Sekai smiled comfortingly, knowingly, and lowered his voice for Naruto's benefit. "No, it's not strange at all. And if anyone tells you differently, you don't listen to them. I'm your big brother after all, so I'm right."

Naruto grinned, immediately reassured. _So it isn't strange. _Now he just needed to figure out if what he felt for Sasuke really was 'like' and why it was different than the way he 'liked' Sakura.

Beaming, Sekai watched as the anxiety left his brother's face. "My little brother's so cute!" Unable to contain himself, he launched himself at Naruto and sent them both tumbling to the floor.

"That was… random," Kakashi remarked mildly.

"Idiots," Sasuke added in, returning to his food and wondering why Naruto would ask such a question. _He couldn't… No way. He loves Sakura. He always has. That's not going to change just because his brother's a weirdo._

-

They were just walking along the street (Naruto looking for more people to introduce his brother to), when he caught sight of his other perverted teacher, Jiraiya, talking to a pretty young lady at a restaurant.

He raised his voice to get the man's attention, "OI, PERVER—Mmph!"

Sekai's hand clamped down on Naruto's mouth. His smirk was large and no different than his brother's when he was plotting some prank. Sasuke and Kakashi, who had been walking with the brothers, had bad feelings long before Sekai announced, "I have a terrible idea," gleefully.

Naruto, curious, pulled Sekai's hand from his mouth. "What?"

The older blond wrapped his arm around Naruto's shoulders and whispered into his ear. Slowly, Naruto got that same smirk on his face.

"Do it, do it!" Naruto encouraged.

Sekai giggled and, in the middle of a crowded street with no shame at all, activated a genjutsu. Sasuke recognized it immediately. It was his "Haruko" disguise. Then, very confidently, 'he' walked toward the restaurant.

Sasuke stared, a nasty suspicion forming in his mind. "He isn't…"

Naruto snickered evilly.

"I think he is," Kakashi said, hiding behind his book, but peeking behind it nervously, far too fascinated. He assumed that it wouldn't work; Jiraiya was far too smart to fall for something like that.

The way Jiraiya's arm wound around Sekai's shoulders quickly disproved that notion though. He was leaning in awfully close too, no doubt flirting. Sekai didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

"Maybe you should warm him," Sasuke said.

"Yeah…" Kakashi took a step toward them.

"No!" Naruto cried, still giggled. "Wait for it…"

"Naruto, this is a nasty prank to play on your teacher…"

Naruto folded his arms over his chest petulantly. "He deserves it, the nasty old pervert."

Kakashi sighed. "I suppose I should just be glad it's not me, right?"

"Right!"

Jiraiya looked to be leaning in for a kiss, his hand indiscreetly on the 'girl's' thigh, when Sekai decided it was the right moment to spring the surprise on the legendary sennin. The old man leapt back and _screamed_. Naruto and Sekai broke into peels of laughter.

Clutching his chest, Jiraiya looked pleading at Kakashi as they approached. "Who the hell is _that_?!"

"The Fourth's firstborn."

Jiraiya paused, stared at Kakashi for a moment as the words registered, before looking back at Sekai, who beamed at him pleasantly. "So…"

Kakashi nodded. "He turned up yesterday."

"You're going to have to fill me in on the details. After I've recovered." Jiraiya slumped into a chair heavily, as if he legs could no longer support him. "That's the third time I've come close to death. First time was peeping at that flat-chested Tsunade… Second was when Naruto went four-tails… and finally… meeting that little bastard over there…"

Kakashi patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Want me to get you a glass of water?"

"No… I think I'll be alright… Ah hell, what happened to him anyway? He used to be a normal kid! Well, as normal as that family ever was…"

Kakashi caught him up on the current events, keeping his eyes on the kids standing nearby. Sekai was currently teasing Sasuke about his hair ("It really looks like a rooster tail!") which sent Naruto into another fit of laughter. Sasuke looked like he very much wanted to murder them both in cold blood and leave their mangled corpses in some back alley somewhere.

"Hmm," said Jiraiya thoughtfully when the Sharingan user was finished. He wasn't surprised that everyone was on the defensive. He hadn't met Kain himself, but he had heard the details. "You know, now that I think about it… Remember that time we visited and they had the kid wearing this little blue dress?"

Kakashi nodded slowly. "They kept saying it wasn't a dress. Just that she couldn't crochet that well yet."

Jiraiya chuckled at the memory. They'd both teased the Fourth on it having lasting effects on the boy. "Still… We've met a lot of bad people in our lives. Does he strike you as particularly evil?"

"Not really," Kakashi relented. "But he could just be a very good actor."

"That could fool _all_ of us?" Jiraiya shook his head. "There's something else going on here."

"Hokage-sama was looking for you, by the way."

Jiraiya nodded. "I should go see what the princess wants then. Keep me informed, okay?"

Kakashi nodded and watched him depart. Jiraiya was right. There was more to all this. Even if Sekai wasn't working with Kain, he probably wasn't telling the whole truth. And where was his friend he'd said had escaped with him?

-

Night settled over Konoha. The view from Naruto's apartment wasn't ideal, but the stars shown brightly in the sky above the rooftops, and Sekai could just see it, which suited him just fine for the moment.

"Are you sure this is alright?" he asked as he removed his talismans. The pieces of paper moved with a will of their own and formed a neat pile on the nightstand next to the bed.

Naruto nodded, watching this in fascination. He still couldn't believe his brother walked around with paper covering his entire body. "Of course. We're brothers, aren't we? I want you to stay here."

"No, I meant the bed."

"Oh." Naruto blushed. "Yeah, it's kind of small, but as long as you don't hog the covers then it should be fine. Er, does snoring bother you?"

"I'm rather adept at sleeping deeply," Sekai admitted, expression clouding over as he remembered something. _He can't be worse than Kain…_He pulled the bedcovers up to cover them both, his smile back in place as he turned out the light. "Good night, Naruto-nii."

"G'night, Aniki." He was quiet for a long moment before he spoke up. "Hey, hey…"

"Hmm?"

Naruto turned over to look at the other blond in the pale light. "Did you mean what you said yesterday? That you were proud of me?"

Sekai smiled and ruffled Naruto's hair fondly. "I meant it."

Smiling bashfully, Naruto bowed his head, enjoying the hand in his hair. He had been touched very rarely in his life, but Sekai was a very touchy-feely person. He found he liked that attention. It probably should have been weird that he liked Sekai so much only after two days, but he just couldn't suspect him like the others did. It felt like they should have known each other for years, it felt that comfortable together.

"I wonder what it would have been like, if you hadn't been taken away," Naruto commented after a moment.

Sekai smiled sadly. "You know, I have this reoccurring dream sometimes, about us as kids. We're walking by a lake and there's little Sasuke-kun sitting by himself on the edge of a pier. You kind of glare and make to walk off, but I grab you and make you talk to him." He laughed softly. "Sounds weird, huh?"

Naruto stared—he didn't know if he should tell Sekai that that sounded almost like a real memory of his.

Sekai frowned lightly. "What's with that look? Did I say something wrong?"

"…Why would you want me to talk to Sasuke?" Naruto asked slowly.

Sekai shrugged and stared up at the ceiling. "I guess… I feel that if I'd been here the whole time, I could have done something about what happened between you three years ago." He sighed and stretched his arms upward above his head. "Probably just wishful thinking, but… I don't know. I'll never know. It's just… how I feel."

Naruto remembered what Sekai had said at the hospital

"_I suppose you could say that I was too young to know any better, but the fact remains that because I did, you grew up alone. As your big brother that, to me, is the biggest failure of my life. It's my deepest regret."_

Did that have something to do with it? Did Sekai feel guilty about Sasuke joining Orochimaru too?

Naruto smiled. _He can't be the bad guy everyone thinks he is. He's got a good heart, I can feel it. _"Don't worry about that stuff, Aniki. You're here now, right? And everything with Sasuke turned out alright in the end. So there's nothing to feel guilty about."

Sekai's smile was still melancholy though. "Guess so…"

Wanting to make him feel better, Naruto put his arm around Sekai and hugged him, burying his face against the older boy's chest. "It's okay, Aniki. Really." Actually, it was kind of comfortable like this…

Sekai threaded his fingers into Naruto's thick hair, calmly working out the tangles he could get to until he was sure the younger boy had fallen asleep. Then he gently pushed him off and left the apartment.

-

Sai found him on the roof of the building. When Sekai caught sight of him, he was neither surprised nor angered at his sudden appearance.

"I was wondering who was watching me now," the blond commented pleasantly. He was wearing his shorts and a shirt that looked like Naruto's, large and black. It made him look more boyish than his usual attire did. "Good evening, Sai-kun."

Sai smiled just as cheerfully, though perhaps not quite as realistic. _If he's faking, he's very good at it. _"Good evening. You don't seem surprised to find out you're being scrutinized."

Sekai shook his head. "No, not at all. Actually, I'm glad," he admitted ruefully. "All of you are very protective of my little brother. I'm glad he has so many good friends."

Sai studied him. His posture gave away nothing but contentment. "It doesn't bother you that you're not trusted?"

The blond shrugged. "Not really. You're all going to believe what you want. I just came to meet my brother. Anything beyond that? Well…" He sighed wistfully and looked up at the stars. "As soon as Yume-chan gets here, we'll see what happens."

"Aren't you worried why she's not here yet?"

"Not at all. She took a different route. It takes longer, so we figured Kain would not think to check it."

"I see…" If she even existed, that is.

Sekai gazed up at him and laughed softly. "I wanted to thank you."

Sai blinked. "For what?"

"Yume told me that you promised to protect Naruto and Sasuke's bond." Sekai smiled and reached up with one hand as though to touch the stars above. "I felt the same impulse, yet was unable to. So, thank you for doing so."

"You felt the same…?"

Sekai nodded. "Under different circumstances, it might have been nice to help them get together, but as it is… I guess I won't have the time."

Sai stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think we'll be able to stay long." Sekai's expression sobered dramatically. "He'll be coming for us. And… I don't want anything to happen to Naruto-nii. Especially if it's my fault. So instead of bringing danger to him, we'll leave and take it with us."

"Do you really think Naruto would just let you leave?"

Sekai shook his head, smiling once more. "Probably not. That makes me happy a little, selfish though it is. But I hope between you, Sasuke, and others, you can keep him from doing anything too rash."

"And you think running away isn't rash?" Sai asked, voice calm and merely curious.

"I didn't say it wasn't. It's just the only option I can see right now."

"If you asked for asylum, we could protect you," Sai pointed out without thinking.

Sekai shook his head immediately. "If I did that, it would be for Yume's sake. She can't defend herself. All she has is that kekkei genkai and it's not very helpful in a fight."

"Do you think you can defend yourself against Kain?"

"No… He'll get me in the end." Sekai smiled brightly. "But I'll go down with the knowledge that I won where it counts the most. I met my brother and he likes me. That's enough victories against my master to last a lifetime."

Sai had never heard anyone so willing to accept such a sad fate. It couldn't be for real, but…

_He's the same as Naruto. You can't help but believe him._

"You're not going to tell Naruto this, are you?"

Sekai flushed brightly, the reddening visible even in the moonlight. "I was going to leave a note…" He glanced up Sai when he made no comment. "That's pretty lame, huh?"

"Yeah."

Sekai giggled softly and stood up. "I supposed it is. Still…" He flashed Sai a wide smile. "Don't stay up too late, okay?" he admonished lightly, as if speaking to a child.

Sai blinked curiously at the abrupt subject change, and the fact that Sekai seemed to care about him. "I switch off with my teammate in a few minutes," he found himself answering.

"That's good." Sekai smiled kindly before turning back to the door that led downstairs. "Good night, Sai-kun."

"Yes. Good night…" Sai watched him go.

_He's a little irritating, but I agree with Jiraiya-sama's comment. He doesn't seem particularly evil…But even after this enlightenment, I feel there's more to do this than meets the eye._

And Naruto would definitely be a handful when he found out Sekai planned to leave. If his reaction to Uchiha Sasuke's departure three years ago was anything to go by, there was no way he'd just let Sekai walk away. Sai knew that for certain.

TBC. And so night descends on the Hidden Leaf village. But who is this shadow coming out of the darkness and what does this mean for our intrepid heroes?


	3. Stiff Breeze

Chapter Three: Stiff Breeze

Sasuke approached Sai shortly after Sekai disappeared into the building. "You can leave. I'm taking over."

Sai blinked curiously. "I was told that Yamada-san was coming…"

"He was held up," Sasuke said, truthfully. Not that he was all that bothered by it. He wanted to keep an eye on Sekai anyway. No matter what Naruto said, he was not going to trust that weirdo.

Sai nodded slowly, aware that the village's security was still very tight. Many of the ANBU were busy doing work dealing with the Akatzuki. Since he'd rejoined their ranks, that was primarily what his missions had been about. "Very well. Good evening, Sasuke."

Sasuke grunted and, after he'd left, took point on the roof of the building across from Naruto's home, crouching low in the shadows and masking his chakra. Looking in the window he dimly saw Sekai and Naruto in bed together, presumably sleeping. He glared at the shadowy figures, anger stirring in his chest; though at the moment he did not know who he was angrier with.

It was only a few minutes later that he saw a familiar person appear a few feet away from him.

Sasuke stiffened. _Sakura? What's she doing here?_

He did not speak up though, far too curious to see what the girl was up to. But all she did for a long time was stand there, staring at the window that looked into Naruto's bedroom.

Sasuke looked back at the window and saw that Naruto was alone in the bed.

_God damn it!! _He'd been distracted by Sakura and hadn't been paying attention.

He needn't have panicked, however, for only a second later did Sekai jump onto the roof as well, dressed in his customary short blue dress. He stood in front of Sakura with his arms folded over his chest and a cold expression on his face.

"Well?" he asked, his stance tense, as if he expected to be attacked.

Sakura smiled cheerfully. "Come with me," was all she said, and she took off, jumping from rooftop to rooftop with Sekai at her heels.

Sasuke followed, wondering what the hell was going on.

The two headed out of the village and into the surrounding forest, stopping in a clearing. Sasuke found a secluded spot in a tree nearby, but the wind was picking up and unfortunately he couldn't get any closer without risking detection. Their dialogue only distantly reached his ears. Sekai seemed angry and afraid about something, and he glared at Sakura menacingly.

Sakura continued to smile.

"I see you've been getting along well with your cute little brother," Sasuke finally heard her say.

Sekai shifted uncomfortably. "So what?"

"I just didn't know you were into that sort of thing," Sakura giggled in a teasing manner, and that was when Sasuke knew that it was not really Haruno Sakura.

It must be Kain!_ Shit!_ Unlike with Sekai's Haruko disguise, Kain's genjutsu had been completely discernable to him, even with his Sharingan activated. Sekai was obvious with his illusion, but Kain's was much more subtle. It was a work of art.

_Orochimaru would even be impressed by it…_

The wind picked up again and Sasuke couldn't hear what they said for a long moment, until:

"… so you'll go to the Hokage tower and fetch me Orochimaru's notes on his Fushi Tensei technique," the fake Sakura was saying, one hand poised on her hip and a mocking smile stretching her lips.

Inside, Sasuke's chest went cold. Orochimaru's immortality technique!

_No… I can't let anyone get that. Orochimaru died. I won't stand by while another's created. _

He didn't bother to stay for the rest of the confrontation. He silently sped back toward the village to report his news to Kakashi.

Though, a large part of Sasuke couldn't help but feel vindicated by this revelation.

_You didn't fool me, you asshole. I won't let you win…_

He very carefully did not think about how much this would hurt Naruto.

-

Sekai clenched his fists angrily as he faced down his dreaded master. He had only followed him out this far from the village because he hadn't wanted Naruto to get involved. He had assumed Kain had just come to fetch him. He hadn't seen this coming at all.

"And you'll let Yume go if I get this research for you?" he prodded, needing to be sure he was betraying his village—no, it was not _his_ village, it hadn't been in sixteen years. No, he was betraying something so much worse than that. But he needed to be sure he was betraying that for a reason.

Kain nodded. "I will. She can even come to live at the village. But _you_," he pointed finger at him, "will be returning with me. If you try to escape, I'll kill her instantly. She's useful, but not _that_ useful. You know I'll do it."

Sekai hesitated, feeling desperate. "What use am I to you?" he asked bitterly. "You never taught me all the talisman techniques, and you made me dependant on that chakra technique on purpose so I'd never have much growth. What's the point?"

Kain laughed softly, still using Sakura's voice, which was fairly creepy. Sekai knew he did it for that purpose. "Do you think I'd just let you have what you want?"

Sekai sighed in resentment. It did not matter if he was any use to Kain or not—Kain just did not want anyone to get the upper hand over him. He'd probably just kill him later rather than let him live. Or worse—let him live so he could regret what he had helped his master do. "Where do I meet you?"

"Ah, well…" Kain seemed oddly uncomfortable about something.

"What?" Sekai asked, curious despite the situation.

"Do you remember where Saburo's cottage is?"

Well, there was a name he hadn't heard in ages. "Yes, I guess so… Does that mean he forgave you?"

"Well, not exactly… I'm still working on it…"

Sekai snorted lightly, amused. No wonder Kain was embarrassed, crawling back to Saburo after their last fight… "I'm surprised he didn't throw a sake bottle at your head first thing."

"… He did."

Sekai laughed.

Kain glared. "Just get the notes!"

Sobered by the reminder of what he was about to do, he turned to go.

_I shouldn't have run away, should never have tried to make my dreams come true… Even though I thought I'd freed myself, I'm still his puppet…_

_Again, he's taking my life away from me…_

He supposed he should be grateful he wasn't being asked to kill anyone.

-

The vault was easy to locate. He vaguely remembered once being taken there by his mother to fetch his father. Sekai remembered how tired he'd looked, and how shiny his hair looked in the candlelight… But not much else.

The tower was dark at night and security was painfully minimal. Sekai had hoped that one of them would actually catch them, or that their conversation in the woods had been overheard, but he couldn't actually turn himself in. The memory of Kain's words taunted him.

"_I want you to do something for me. If you don't, then Yume-chan dies. If you try to warn the Leaf ninja or tell them the truth, then she dies. It's that simple. If you don't do as I say, and I'll send her to you in pieces…"_

Sekai cursed inwardly. He should never have split up from Yume. It had never been his intention to put his best friend in danger. Now he had no choice but to correct that mistake.

Even if it meant giving up his freedom and his relationship with Naruto, forever. The thing he'd wanted most in all the world, since nearly four years ago, was a bond with his brother. But with this action, no matter how it turned out, he was throwing that away.

Still… Yume was his _best_ _friend_. He could _not_ just let her die!

_I'm sorry, little brother…But you're better off without me in your life._

The vault was warded of course, but Sekai thought he could blast through. If he was quick, he could get the research and make his way out before anyone could get downstairs fast enough.

Sekai jumped when someone behind him cleared their throat. As he turned, the lights in the chamber abruptly came on.

His insides dropped when he saw it was Tsunade, with Kakashi, Sasuke, Sai, and many ANBU and Jounin guards standing behind her.

Sekai bowed his head in supplication, a deep and sharp shame filling his chest and making his eyes water. "Looks like you caught me." Actually, he was relieved too. He couldn't say he hadn't tried. Yume was safe and Kain would not get the research. It was a small, small victory.

Tsunade's glare was unforgiving and dug the metaphorical knife that much deeper. "Looks that way. Well? Are you going to resist?"

Sekai held up his hands, slowly so as not to appear to be trying anything. "There's no point." They could defeat him easily. Kain hadn't ordered him to die, after all. _Damn it, it was a fool's errand after all…_

And worse of all, now he would have to face Naruto…

Still, this is what he had to do. He had no choice.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" the Hokage asked.

"No," Sekai answered immediately, and he said nothing more.

He had no choice…

-

It was only the next morning that Naruto was finally informed of his brother's plight. Long after Sekai had been interrogated and locked away in a cell.

Once again, he was pissed.

Then he was even more pissed when he heard it was Sasuke that had gotten Sekai arrested.

Kakashi was the one who'd broken the news to him and who had taken him to the village prison.

"Let me see him!" Naruto demanded angrily.

Kakashi held up his hands defensively. He'd known Naruto would be angry. In fact, he looked around and saw that Tsunade had been prepared for this as well. The security in the building had been upped. Not that it would matter. "Now, Naruto, I know you're concerned, but the truth remains that he tried to steal that research—"

"It's a misunderstanding! I know it is!"

Kakashi sighed sadly. Though Naruto had been hurt so many times as a child, he still believed so strongly in people. Sasuke had tried to kill him and yet Naruto could not let him go. Kakashi knew it would be the same for Sekai and no matter what any of them said, it wouldn't change Naruto's mind one bit. The fact that Sekai was actually family would make it even worse than Sasuke, though. Naruto had never known his family before two days ago, and now that he had, he probably would be unable to let that connection go.

Kakashi opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a scathing snort. He did not need to turn around to know who it was. Dread filled him.

This day just kept getting worse and worse…

Sasuke walked up to them, coming out of the crowd. "You're unbelievable. He betrays us and you stand there screaming denial. When will you grow up?"

Kakashi resisted the urge to tape Sasuke's mouth shut. Instead, he stood back and let the scene play out, wondering how badly this would end.

But if anything, three years ago Kakashi had learned that some conflicts could not be avoided. Naruto and Sasuke were going to fight. There was nothing any of them could do about it.

It was sad, but it could not be avoided.

Naruto growled, his rage building visibly and his fists clenched, shaking. His fangs even began to show but thankfully his eyes remained blue. "You… You fucking hypocrite! _You're_ the one that's unbelievable! How can you say that when you betrayed us too!?"

The room fell silent at his words and the surrounding shinobi stared at them, watching the scene unfold. They were probably waiting for a fierce fight to break out between the two notorious rivals.

Kakashi was glad that, during their last battle, Sasuke had managed to put a new seal over the Kyuubi. He may have learned it from Orochimaru, and he may have done it just to cripple Naruto's power, but it had had the reverse effect in helping Naruto use his own chakra, which was stronger anyway.

Sasuke's fists were shaking too, but he contained his anger a little better than his teammate. Coincidentally, it was harder for him to control his anger than Naruto, since he was used to letting it have free reign while training with Orochimaru. His glares had stopped giving people cold shivers at least.

Also, he did not bother to defend himself. They all knew it was true. "I'm saying this for your own good, you idiot. Brothers aren't always good," he said, coldly. "You should realize that. If you let your family sentiment blind you, you'll only get hurt, maybe even killed."

Naruto was so angry his face was beginning to flush red. "That's _your_ brother. Not mine."

Kakashi tensed, expecting Sasuke to reach new levels of furiousness, but instead the boy's reaction surprised him.

Sasuke _flinched_. Naruto might as well have punched him. It would have hurt less. He just… hadn't expected Naruto to say something so cruel. "Fine. Have it your way." Damning his pride, he pushed passed Kakashi and ran out of the building.

Naruto stared after him, the look of hurt on his friend's face obvious, surprising him. Sasuke had seemed so emotionless lately. All he'd wanted to do was break through that barrier between them, to get even some feeling to show on his face. Instead, he had made things worse.

Still, Sasuke was being a bastard. That brought Naruto back into focus. He had a mission. He needed to get Sekai out of here, to get his name cleared.

He was more important.

Kakashi sighed loudly and rubbed his forehead. Things were just never easy. "Geez, you two… Well, come on. I suppose you won't shut up until I get you in to see him."

Naruto nodded stubbornly. "I'll yell until my voice breaks, and then I'll just fight my way through."

"You know, your stubbornness is cute sometimes, but now it's just annoying…" Even so, Kakashi led the way to where Sekai was being held.

-

There were many grumblings, but after having some examples of just how loud and obnoxious Naruto could be in a pinch, he was eventually allowed into the cell block. Having the Hokage order them to did not hurt either.

"Has he said anything?" Kakashi asked as he watched Naruto being led by Izumo to where Sekai was being kept.

Tsunade's expression was stern and serious, her arms folded underneath her predominant chest. "Not a thing. He's resisted the interrogators, even Ibiki. He's unresponsive to stimuli and seems to have become almost introverted." It was such a drastic change from the cheerful persona he had been acting like before.

"You think Kain taught him to resist interrogators too?"

"No… I think he's just slipping into depression." Tsunade sighed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he didn't have a choice in all this."

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully and watched Naruto disappear down the long hallway. Sekai was being kept in one of the most secure cells, he knew. It was a good distance from the entrance. "Maybe he didn't…"

"Aniki!" Naruto shouted as he finally reached the cell. He was sure that once he spoke to Sekai that he could find out what really happened and then all he had to do was tell Kakashi or Tsunade and then everything would be alright.

On the stone bars, Naruto saw seals hanging strategically. Inside the cell it was dark, even from the light of the hallway. He could barely make out the lump in the bed, which stirred at the sound of his voice.

"Naruto-nii?" Sekai asked, voice cracking. _No, Naruto, you can't be here… I don't want you to see me likes this… And, I can't face you. Not after what I tried to do. If Kain had gotten those notes, another Orochimaru would have been born… You and Sasuke nearly died defeating him… And I nearly made that in vain…_

"Aniki! I'm here to get you out!"

Sekai tensed. "How?"

"I'm just gonna tell them it was all a big mistake! Right, right? Just tell me, and I'll explain everything to them!"

Sekai sighed. God, he hated himself so much right now. But he had to keep his promise to Kain. Yume's life depended on it. If he told Naruto the truth, Kain would find out somehow and she would die. "I'm sorry, little brother," he answered, hollowly.

Naruto's grin wavered until wide, soulful eyes stared at him in the gloom. "… Aniki? What are you saying?"

"I'm sorry. That's all I can say."

Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. He shook his head in denial. "No… no way. You… Was Sasuke right? Did you really betray us? Aniki!" It couldn't be true, it just couldn't be…

Sekai stood slowly from his bunk and walked closer to the bars so Naruto could see his face. He was tired, but he knew the bruise on his face was far more noticeable than that. "I said that was all I could say."

"What happened?" Naruto asked. "Who hit you?!"

Sekai smiled a little, even though it hurt. "It's alright. My interrogators were a little enthusiastic, that's all." His teeth had stopped bleeding at least.

Naruto just stared at him, his heart breaking. The smile on Sekai's face was still honest—kind and sad. Denial swelled up inside him once more, a fierce and blazing fire. "Aniki, tell me what's going on! You promised that you'd answer any of my questions, right?!"

Sekai winced. "It's not that simple anymore, Naruto-nii. I'm… so sorry. I swear all I ever wanted to be was someone you could be proud to call your brother. I didn't want this to happen." Abruptly, Sekai realized he was saying far too much. But he couldn't, he just _couldn't_ let Naruto be angry at him. It was a pain he could not bear… "I'm just so sorry."

Naruto's mouth hung open, unsure of how to respond. He knew, more than ever, that Sekai wasn't a traitor. He believed it with all his heart and nothing would make him think differently. Still… what was going on?!

"So it was Sasuke who turned me in, huh?" Sekai laughed softly, amused. He thought he should have seen that coming. It was karma, had to be. _Pissed the evil kitty off too many times…_

"He's…" Naruto gripped the bars angrily, the ire from his fight with Sasuke returning in full force. "He's such an asshole! He thinks you're a traitor like _his_ brother!"

Sekai's expression softened. He smiled and gently touched Naruto's hand. "Don't be mad at Sasuke. Protecting you, and me being here, hurts him more than you think. He doesn't want you to go through the same thing he did."

Naruto was heartened by his show of kindness. "But he's wrong right? You're not like Itachi, right?"

Sekai's expression dropped, as did his hand. "I can't say any more. I'm sorry."

"Why?! What did Kain say to you?!"

Sekai smiled sadly. "Please, Naruto-nii. Just give up on me. I'm not worth your concern."

Naruto stared at him, shaken, but he quickly shook his head to clear his doubtful thoughts. "No! I won't give up! Even if you can't tell me what's going on, I'll find out for myself and get you out of here! I promise!" With that, he breezed past Izumo and ran in the direction he'd come.

Weakly, Sekai crumbled to the floor, tears in his eyes. No, he didn't deserve this!_ I don't deserve your kindness!_

TBC. Will Naruto be able to get Sekai out of jail?


	4. Faith

Chapter Four: Faith

Naturally the moment Naruto stepped out of the prison he realized he had absolutely no idea what the hell he was going to do. He just had to do _something_.

With a sigh, the blond boy sat upon the stone steps of the building and pondered his situation sourly. Sekai had been arrested for trying to steal research for the Fushi Tensei, and he would not tell anyone why. Everyone just assumed he had been a traitor all along. Still, Naruto could not believe his kind brother would do something like this. There _had_ to be more to the story than they knew.

He had to do something. He just did not know what that something would be.

So engrossed in his thoughts, Naruto did not notice Sai approaching until the other boy had spoken.

"Are you upset over your perverted brother getting in trouble?" Sai asked thoughtfully, finding the lost expression on Naruto's face disconcerting. "I'd hate to think what would happen to him if he were in a public prison… Something tells me he'd… Never mind." Sai decided it would not be wise to say something like that at a time like this. Something told him that Naruto would not appreciate it.

Naruto was confused thankfully. "Huh? Oh. Hi, Sai." He was used to Sai saying unusual things though so he easily dropped it. "Yeah, I'm worried about Aniki. He's not a traitor though! I just have to find out what's really going on…"

Sai nodded and sat down beside his blond friend. This situation reminded him of how Naruto would not give up on Sasuke. No matter how much Sasuke had fought against it, their bond was something that could not be broken. It was Naruto's faith that gave it that strength. Sai had believed in their bond because it was the same he had once had with his brother. So Sai decided to do what no one else seemed to be able to do—he would continue to believe in Naruto's judgment. If Naruto saw good in Sekai, even after this, then it was true.

"Hmm. First, let's assimilate all the facts we know thus far," Sai suggested.

"Aniki's not a bad person!" Naruto said fiercely.

Sai nodded. "And he met with Kain last night, who told him to get the Immortality technique research. So, if we are running on the assumption that Sekai did not do so as an order, then we must also assume that he was forced into it against his will."

Naruto nodded, gazing at Sai eagerly. "Yeah yeah!" That totally made sense!

"And, most likely, that means Kain is holding something over Sekai in order to get him to cooperate," Sai noted, thinking as he spoke.

Blinking wide blue eyes, Naruto asked, "Like what?"

Sai thought about that, but it hit him eventually, as only something very obvious could do. "His friend Yume has not arrived at the village yet."

"Do you think Kain has her?!"

"It is a distinct possibility."

"So that's it!" Naruto stood up with a grin. "We just have to tell everyone and—"

Sai reached up and grabbed the blond's wrist before he could reenter the prison. "Wait, Naruto. Don't get ahead of yourself. We still do not have proof that any of this is true."

Naruto's expression fell once again, realizing Sai was right. "Oh. Damn it! So how do we find proof?" he asked, immediately moving to the next step. All he kept seeing in his mind was Sekai's bruised face gazing at him sadly. He had to get his brother out of there…

Seeing that Naruto wasn't going to do anything rash (yet), Sai let go of his hand and stood. "At the moment we should start at the beginning. Were Sekai's things collected by the investigators?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, his bag is at my place."

"Good. Let's go take a look."

Moments later they were sitting in Naruto's small apartment and going through Sekai's belongings. The extra clothes could immediately be dismissed, as they offered nothing substantial, other than Sekai's taste in wardrobe was rather eclectic. Then their attention turned to the other items. Naruto looked at the weapons, but there was nothing interesting about them either—they were just ordinary kunai knives. They could be bought in any ninja village.

Sai studied the blank talisman paper and writing implements; an old fashioned writing pen which looked handmade and a small bottle of ink. Feeling the paper, he could tell it was specially made to be in tune to chakra, but he could not say he had seen anything like it before. The ink bottle was unlabeled, and taking a whiff of it Sai knew it was also specifically made. He knew a bit about different kinds of inks, and he had never smelt anything like it before. Experimentally, he took out his drawing pad and tested it.

He drew a fine arc on the page and watched as it disappeared.

Naruto leaned over Sai's shoulder to watch. "Eh? Why'd it do that?"

"This ink is probably specifically made for writing symbols on the talismans," Sai explained, frowning as he put the pen down and touched his notepad. The page wasn't even wet. "Meaning it might be incompatible with anything else."

"Oh…" Naruto scratched his head thoughtfully. "I guess that's pretty rare, right?"

Sai nodded and put his art pad away. "Most likely Kain and Sekai are the only ones who have anything like this." That gave him an idea. Though it was not particularly wise, he could not see any other route for Naruto to take. "Which also means we could use it to track Kain down."

Naruto brightened. "Yeah! Then we could save Yume and Sekai can talk!" But something occurred to him as well. "Ano sa, ano sa, do you think Tsunade-baa-chan will go along with this though?"

"Maybe. She wouldn't send Team Kakashi though, but an elite ninja team. And not before she had a discussion about it with the elders." Last he'd checked Tsunade was still having trouble with them trying to control her actions.

Naruto frowned. "But we don't have time for that! They wouldn't even be trying to free Sekai either! So we've got to do it!"

"Neither of us can track though," Sai pointed out. He could use his Choju Giga technique to locate people, but not over long distances and he doubted that Kain would still be in Konoha.

The blond ninja dug his hand through his hair, tugging it in frustration. "Ugh! Why is this so difficult?!"

"Well… I've read that the things that are worth while usually have to be fought hard for."

That earned him a small smile from Naruto. "Heh, I guess so." Sasuke had been hard to bring back, and it had taken years to do so. He didn't regret it though, even if he was being a bastard lately. And Sekai was definitely worth it.

So Naruto thought about it. _They_ couldn't track, true, but who did he know that _could_?

There was Kakashi of course, but he couldn't ask the Jounin for help. He'd try to stop them. That left…

"I know! I know who we'll ask to help!" Naruto announced happily and grabbed Sai's hand, dragging him out of the apartment.

-

The ninjas standing guard around the cell gave Sasuke dark, untrusting looks as he passed, not trying to stop him. He did not even spare them a glance, however. He walked straight by them and looked into the gloom of the cell.

Sekai laid prone on the floor, curled up and hiding his face against his legs. He was the very picture of wretchedness. Sasuke felt his lip curl in disgust and rage.

"_That's _your_ brother. Not mine."_

Sasuke felt his hands fist. He wanted to break into the cell and take his anger out on the blond.

He had lost everything. Itachi had taken it all away. First his family, then Naruto. Only he hadn't really lost Naruto, because the hyperactive idiot would not let him go.

Naruto was all he had. Even if he couldn't be with him the way he wanted, because Naruto only saw him as a friend (or, he shuddered to think, a _brother_), but at the very least Sasuke had _that_ frustrating bond.

Now because of this freak, he didn't even know if he had that anymore.

For that alone he wanted to kill Sekai. But Sekai had also betrayed Naruto's trust and, once the idiot figured it out, it would break his heart.

That was something Sasuke couldn't forgive. Never mind the fact that he had done it before himself. Or maybe it was _because_ of that.

Sasuke couldn't stand by and let it happen to Naruto again.

Sekai stirred when he felt that deadly killing aura direction on him. He shivered and didn't dare move. A memory flashed in his mind of Yume describing Sai's first meeting with Sasuke, and how the ANBU had been surprised to be afraid. Sekai could sympathize completely now. "Why aren't you with Naruto?" he asked quietly.

"Why would I be?" Sasuke snapped angrily. _As if you don't know, you've turned him against me!_

Slowly, Sekai sat up and looked at the pissed off Uchiha, his concern outweighing his fear. "Where is he?"

"Like I'm going to tell you."

"You have to go find him. He's going to do something stupid."

Sasuke snorted derisively. "He always does something stupid and he certainly doesn't need my help." _He doesn't even _want_ me around, just his precious big brother…_

"Sasuke, listen," Sekai spoke desperately, gazing imploringly up at Sasuke's hateful eyes. "When has Naruto ever not gotten into trouble that he could handle on his own?"

Sasuke blinked and stared back. His anger slowly faded, like grains of sand slipping through his fingers. Whatever Sekai's intentions were, he was also right about that. Naruto was powerful, but he was still an idiot.

Sasuke gripped the bars, unknowingly mirroring Naruto's actions from earlier that day. "If anything happens to him, I'll kill you."

Sekai smiled slightly. "I'll hold you to that."

Growling softly, the dark haired youth took off down the hall toward the prison's entrance, to track down his idiot.

Reassured that Naruto would be alright now, Sekai laid back down on the floor and waited. Surely Sasuke would find him in time…

-

Inuzuka Kiba listened to Naruto's long and animated explanation, though it had taken a while to get over the surprise that the blond had a brother.

"So that wasn't you in the dress?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "No! That was Aniki that Sasuke took to the hospital!"

"So he's finally given up on you?"

"Huh?"

Kiba smirked. _He doesn't notice anything until it's right in front of him…_ "Never mind. Akamaru and I will help, but you owe us one. Just be glad we didn't have a mission today."

Naruto grinned widely and the three of them took off into the forest surrounding Konoha.

-

Kiba had been doubtful about Akamaru being able to track this Kain guy's trail by using ink, which was a pretty common thing, but Sai had been right. The ink was different, and that went for its scent as well. The three boys followed the large white dog through the trees, a trail that was leading them ever closer to the edge of the Fire Country, and a strong feeling of déjà vu struck him.

"This reminds me a little of three years ago," he remarked to Naruto.

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, me too." He wondered if they should have gathered a bigger team, since Kain was supposed to be pretty strong. Still, he did not want a repeat of three years ago and have his friends get hurt again… They hadn't had much time either. He had to get Sekai out of that cell!

"So what's the plan?" It didn't particularly bother Kiba that they should have brought more people (because he didn't fully understand the danger) nor that they would all probably get into trouble for this stunt. It sounded kind of fun, actually, rescuing a damsel in distress…

"Um. I was thinking we'd just grab this Yume girl and run for it…"

Kiba shared a doubtful look with Sai. "We should've grabbed Shikimaru."

Sai laughed softly at Naruto's disgruntled expression. "Yes. I doubt things will go all that smoothly…"

"We've got the element of surprise on our side though," Naruto pointed out.

"Naruto. When do things _ever_ go smoothly for us?" Kiba asked wryly, smirking.

"Erm…"

-

They reached a clearing just outside the Land of Fire, though thankfully no where near the Valley of the End. In the clearing was a small wooden cottage with a patio in front and smoke coming steadily from the chimney. They did not need to hear Akamaru's whine to conclude that this was where their trail ended.

On the patio sat two men and one young girl. The men were sharing a small white bottle of sake silently. One man was younger, with long hair that fell well passed his shoulders and wearing a loose men's kimono that revealed a good portion of his chest. The air around him screamed sensuality and danger all at once.

The other man was older, with shorter hair that was graying ever so slightly, but he was still attractive—in the same manner that made a katana beautiful; elegant and sharp. His wardrobe was simpler than his companion's, adding a harsher look to him.

"Do you think the older one's Kain?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Your guess is as good as ours," Sai replied, just as silent. "That girl must be Yume, however."

The girl's appearance was far different than the men's. She was small and couldn't be any older than thirteen or fourteen by her looks. Her skin was incredibly pale and her hair was a shocking white, pinned up away from her face with small tendrils falling loose around her neck. The beautiful white kimono she wore only added to her delicate appearance. She looked like a rather ornate porcelain doll.

Naruto smiled. _She's pretty. No wonder Sekai likes her._ His brother had a fondness for cute things after all.

_Don't worry, Aniki. I'll get her back for you._

Kiba was suggesting that they have Akamaru see if he could get one of the men to follow him away from the cottage while the three of them took on the remaining opponent, when suddenly the older one looked directly at them and spoke.

"Hello there!" His voice was deep and friendly enough, but his eyes slanted with ill intent. "Do come out so we can see who our guests are."

Naruto, Kiba, and Sai all looked at each other, hesitating.

The man chuckled softly. "If you don't, I'm afraid Yume-chan will have to die much quicker than expected," he told them pleasantly, as if he were inviting them all to dinner or remarking on the weather.

Seeing that they had no choice, the four friends walked out into the clearing.

The man's face lit up. "Oh, you're from Konoha! I see Sekai-chan broke his promise after all. Silly brat."

"He didn't, Kain-sama," Yume said softly, drinking calmly out of her tea cup and not at all bothered that the man she sat beside had just threatened her life. "That is Naruto. He came on his own to clear Sekai's name."

Kain beamed widely at Naruto. "Oh, the tight brotherly bond. Very cute. Yes, you do look like our Sekai-chan, don't you? Well, no matter. I never made a promise that I wouldn't kill _you_…"

Naruto glared, rage filling him. This was the man who had taken his brother away, who was responsible for the two of them not growing up together and for making Sekai so sad. "He's _not_ yours!"

"Oh?" Kain looked amused by the idea.

"Yeah! I'll prove it with my fist! I'll pound your face in!"

The talisman user chortled lightly. "Foolish boy, just like your brother. Of course he's mine! I've raised him, trained him. He may have escaped my grasp for the moment, but soon he will return to me. He has no choice. He could never have a life in Konoha now, not after his betrayal. To think, Sekai-chan actually thought he could get away with leaving without punishment! Now his dream to live with his little brother will never come true!"

Sai laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder to keep him from charging forward just yet. "So you admit that Sekai did not come to Konoha with plans to help you?" he asked politely.

Kain's eyes turned on him. "Which one is he, Yume-chan?"

"Sai," Yume supplied, not looking up.

"Oh, the artist. I was rather hoping that Uchiha Sasuke would show up." Kain smiled and shrugged. "Ah well. I'm sure I'll meet him eventually, especially after I kill the one most precious to him…" His gaze trained back on Naruto and he smirked. He was standing just as Yume spoke again.

"You won't be able to," she said softly but confidently.

Kain raised an eyebrow at her. "You doubt your master's powers?"

"You underestimate Uzumaki Naruto," Yume explained. "Those who do always regret it. My eyes have seen it many times. They will continue to do so."

The younger man finally did something. He laughed at the bewildered expression on Kain's face. "Don't bother, Yume, he's too crazy to listen!"

Kain gave him a look somewhere between hurt and irritation. "Saburo, you could be a bit more supportive…"

The long haired man glared at him defiantly. "Fuck off; you're the one that replaced me for some ninja brat."

"Are you ever going to let that go?" Kain asked, sighing in frustration.

Saburo gazed at the sake in his hand thoughtfully before chugging it back. "No, I don't think I shall."

"You're drunk."

"You're an asshole."

As they argued, Naruto exchanged a glance with Kiba as he took out a kunai from his pouch. Kiba nodded in understanding and readied himself, Akamaru shifting ever so slightly beside him. Kain noticed anyway.

"Oh, planning to grab Yume while we're distracted, eh?" Kain grinned. "Admirable, but foolish all the same." He thrust out a hand, but that was all they saw.

The talisman moved too quickly in the air for their eyes to catch. It headed straight for Naruto and they did not have time to react.

Sasuke did.

He appeared in front of Naruto and sliced the paper in half with his katana before it ever reached him, his Sharingan glowing brightly in the daylight. As the split talisman fell to the ground, he saw the symbol on it read "death."

Naruto blinked at the dark-haired boy's back, completely shocked to see him there. "Sasuke?"

"Idiot," Sasuke snapped without glancing at him. "Pay attention!"

Naruto was still too surprise to pay much notice to the reprimand. "You followed me…"

"Obviously."

"But why? After what I said…" He may be mad at Sasuke still, but he felt guilty for his outburst earlier even so.

His friend snorted. "You total idiot. We've said a lot of crap to each other. It's never stopped us before."

Slowly, Naruto smiled, knowing he'd been forgiven. His own anger was gone just as quickly. After all, hadn't Sekai said that Sasuke was just looking out for him? "Yeah."

Sai smiled silently at the two of them, exchanging a look with Kiba to see the other boy had noticed it too. Even when they fought, the two of them could not break their connection.

"That's so beautiful," Kain interrupted the moment. "This is the bond Yume speaks of and the one Sekai-chan admires so much. I'll take great pleasure in destroying you both! Then that brat will know true grief!"

The ninja teens tensed, ready for the talisman user's next move, but then something happened that surprised them all. From her robes, Yume pulled out a small dagger and jammed it into Kain's leg, just above the ankle.

Kain screamed in pain as the blood poured onto the ground. Yume gave it one good twist before her master managed to kick her away from him.

"You little bitch!" he gasped, pulling out the dagger and holding it to her threateningly. "How dare you betray me?!"

Yume glared, and though she did not meet his eyes directly her voice was strong and firm. "I am honoring Sekai's wish! I won't let you hurt Naruto and Sasuke!"

Kain raised the dagger in preparation to thrust at her, when Naruto's kunai connected with it, sending it from his grasp. He'd forgotten about their guests!

Akamaru rushed forward with a growl, moving between Yume and Kain. Kiba was right behind him. He picked up the girl and quickly carried her from the cottage. Getting Yume out of danger was their first priority.

Kain, yowling incoherently in frustration, tried to stand, but his injured leg gave under him. Saburo caught him mid-fall.

"You asshole," the younger man hissed, his concerned eyes bellying his angry words. "I told you not to get blood on my house."

Kain smiled slightly through the pain. "Sorry."

Saburo pulled out a talisman, still keeping his hold on Kain. He looked at the ninja. "Tell Sekai he's won this round. That should amuse him." Then, shouting "WIND!" a rushing current of air carried the two of them off into the trees, leaving only falling leaves in their wake.

Yume smiled gently. "He hates him, but he loves him too. Saburo-kun is always at war with himself."

Kiba glanced down at the fragile-looking girl in his arms. Her outfit was stained with blood now, but it was her pale eyes that drew his attention. "You're blind! How did you see him?"

"I could hear and smell him," she told him, putting her arms around the boy's neck, not at all bothered he was holding her still. "You learn to enhance your senses when one of them is missing. We should go quickly. As soon as Saburo gets Kain to safety, he might return to get revenge, if he's angry enough. Besides, Sekai is waiting for us."

Naruto grinned at the girl though she couldn't see him. "Yeah!" They had their proof that Sekai was innocent; a confession from Kain himself, with all of them as witnesses!

"I'm sorry all of you went to so much trouble," Yume continued as they raced through the treetops, returning to Konoha. "If I hadn't gotten caught, Kain-sama would never have tried to use me against Sekai…"

"Don't apologize," Kiba told her. "It's not like you got caught on purpose. Besides, it wasn't as much trouble for us as it was for that bastard's leg!"

Yume bit her lip. "If I hadn't done that, he would have been a much more formidable opponent. You mustn't underestimate _him_ either."

"Don't worry!" Naruto said, still beaming widely with happiness. "We've fought tough guys before."

"I know you have."

"Oh. Right. Wait, if you're blind, how does your technique work?"

"I see things strongest in dreams, though sometimes I see things when I'm awake as well. I guess you could compare them to visions."

"Ohh…"

"You don't really get it, do you?"

Naruto laughed in embarrassment. "Nope, not really!"

Yume smiled slightly. "It's alright. I'll try to explain once we get to Konoha."

_And we can get Sekai out of jail. _Naruto glanced behind him at Sasuke, who merely looked back at him with that blank expression. Warmth filled Naruto's chest all the same. _Even though I hurt his feelings, he came to help me and he saved me. _Unlike when he was twelve, that did not bother him so much. Now he realized it was because Sasuke cared, even if he didn't want to admit it.

"We'll catch up in a minute," he told Kiba and immediately stopped on a branch, grabbing Sasuke's arm before he could leap passed.

Sasuke glanced from him to their friends, who kept moving forward with Yume. "What is it?" he asked, not pulling his arm from Naruto's grasp. Even through his shirt, the touch made his skin tingle warmly.

Naruto smiled gently, feeling shyness swirling in his belly. "Thanks. You didn't have to come."

Sasuke shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly. "Someone has to look after you." He tried to say it as though he would prefer if that 'someone' wasn't him.

Naruto shifted nervously, unsure of what to do, so he gave into the first impulse he had. He threw his arms around Sasuke's shoulders and held him tightly.

Sasuke blinked at his sudden armful of Naruto, unsure if this was really happening. Perhaps all this was really some bizarre dream that wouldn't end. Maybe Orochimaru had taken over his body after all and he still existed, his consciousness merely running through this never-ending dream as the legendary one-third wreaked havoc upon the world. "Naruto, what are you…?"

It was like a dam breaking. Words tumbled out of Naruto's mouth helplessly. "Thank you. Thank you for helping me fight Orochimaru that day and not killing me. Thank you for resealing the Kyuubi. Thank you for coming back. Thank you for still being my friend." Smiling, he pressed his face against the slightly shorter boy's neck, not wanting to ever let go.

Feeling as though his entire body was growing warm from the inside, Sasuke slowly reached up to return the hug, his arms circling around Naruto's waist. He did not respond because there was really nothing he could say to that, but he did hide a very small smile against Naruto's black and orange jacket.

TBC. Celebrations are cut short as Konoha makes ready for Kain's inevitable attack.


	5. The Totally Awesome Hot Springs Special

Chapter Five: The Totally Awesome Hot-Springs Special!

It was hours later when Sekai's solitude was disturbed once more. He was incredibly relieved to hear a now-familiar hyperactive young man shouting, "Aniki! Aniki!" He hadn't moved an inch from when Sasuke had departed, wishing only to sleep, feeling incredibly drained. Also, the floor was cold and it felt good against the bruise on his cheek.

Sekai smiled at the sound of his brother's voice. _Naruto's safe. Thank goodness…_

He only looked up when he heard the sound of the barred doors opening. Even then, he barely had the strength to lift his head from the ground.

Naruto rushed in once the guards had opened the door, sliding to the floor on his knees beside Sekai. "Aniki, Yume's safe! You can tell everybody the truth now! Everything's okay!"

The older boy blinked up at him sleepily before forcing a smile. "That's good, Naruto-nii. Though you shouldn't have put yourself in danger like that for me." He was glad to hear that Yume was safe, but he thought he should at least scold Naruto a little bit. Big brothers were supposed to be responsible for their younger siblings.

Naruto's excitement was dampened, seeing how tired Sekai looked. "Aniki, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Just tired," Sekai murmured, attempting to push off the floor. His arms were shaky and his progress was very slow.

Sasuke entered the cell then, moving around the Uzumaki siblings. "There are wards on the cell in case he tried anything. They're draining his charka." When he had first returned, he had been imprisoned in a set up similar to this. Kakashi had had to carry him out.

"What?!" Naruto was aghast. "But he _wouldn't_ try anything!"

Sasuke bent down and pulled Sekai up by his shoulders. "He'll be better once he's rested and out of here."

Naruto took the hint and nodded, helping Sasuke get Sekai to his feet. He pulled one of Sekai's arms around his shoulders and practically carried him out.

Later they were standing in the Hokage's office, along with Sakura (the real one), Kakashi, Sai, and Yume. Kiba had left already with Akamaru, having been properly chastised by Tsunade for his rash actions like the rest of them. Sakura had healed Sekai's cheek kindly as the boy finally confessed that Kain had forced him into taking the research, using Yume as leverage. Sekai was still leaning heavily against his little brother but gradually began to recover. Yume stood close on his other side, a protective presence despite her small stature, as she explained what had happened to her after the two of them had separated.

"I was getting a ride with this group of traveling gypsies. They were supposed to come straight to Konoha when they decided to make a detour without telling me. Anyway, that was when Kain caught up with us. He took me to Saburo-kun's place. I'm not sure what happened to the gypsies."

Sekai smiled a little. "I can't believe Saburo is helping him. Their last fight was really bad…"

"Yes, Saburo-san seemed to be upset with Kain for some reason," Sai noted from their fight earlier.

"It was about me," Sekai explained. "Saburo is the true heir to Kain's abilities. The fact that Kain took me as an apprentice as well was insulting to him. He feels that Kain thinks he's not good enough and brought me as a replacement. They had a huge fight over it and Saburo left. Not that he was around much anyway—they're _always_ fighting about something. Truthfully, I think Saburo disliked Kain's training as much as I did… In fact, he never ever showed hate toward me. He was always very kind to Yume and I, like an older brother, and he tried to stick up for us sometimes." Even though oftentimes Sekai did not know what to make of Saburo, a part of him admired the older man, even now.

"The team I sent to the cottage has already returned," Tsunade told them. "The entire clearing was in flames."

"What?!" Naruto gasped in surprise.

Kakashi nodded. "To cover their tracks. Let me guess—there also wasn't a trail left behind to follow?"

"No. Not even the ink odor which Sai figured out. That wind technique dispersed the smell." The Fifth's stern gaze turned to Sekai. "You were protecting your friend, so I can't fault you for not telling us the truth about what you did. However, this doesn't mean you're free to do as you please. We will continue to watch you."

Sekai's expression was downcast, a self-deprecating smile on his lips. "Of course, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade smiled then, surprising him. "I don't mean it like _that_. Kain will be after you and we protect our own."

Naruto grinned at his brother's startled expression. "Yeah! You belong with us, Aniki. I won't let that bastard take you away ever again."

"Naruto-nii…" Sekai smiled happily and pressed his cheek against Naruto's. There were no words for the gratitude he felt at that moment. He would finally get his wish. _I won this round, Kain. They trust me now. You can't ever take that away from me._

Tsunade watched the two brothers, a warmth filling her chest at the sight. _Naruto was right again it seems… Just like with Sasuke. _"It would be most helpful if you could give us some ideas about Kain's next step as well."

"Well," began Yume slowly, "Kain-sama did seem very interested in killing Naruto."

Sekai gaped at her, dread filling his gut. "Did he say why?"

"To make you grieve, I suppose."

The boy bit his lip worriedly. "Or to finally get what he couldn't so long ago. He wanted to kill our dad. And he knows how powerful Naruto is now, what with perfecting the technique that our father failed to. Maybe he thinks fighting Naruto would be getting that great final battle he's always craved."

Tsunade sat back in her seat as she caught on to what he was saying. "So he might try to lure Naruto away from the village like he tried to do with your father, when he kidnapped you."

"If so, the entire village is at risk!" Sakura pointed out, alarmed. "Everyone knows Naruto would do anything to protect Konoha!"

"No," Sasuke said, "he's too calculating for something that simple. He'll target the people Naruto cares about the most. Us."

_You,_ Sekai thought, but did not say it.

Then again, Sasuke was so obvious. Kain might actually prefer an easier, though still precious, target.

Still, right now was not the time to get into Sasuke's importance to Naruto. That was something they needed to figure out for themselves.

"You also might want to send word to Gaara," he said instead. "Kain knows that Naruto has a strong connection to him as well."

"Alright," Tsunade spoke, making her decision. "None of you are to be alone at any time. Remain in pairs or in groups of your choosing. Further missions for Team Kakashi will be temporarily cancelled until further notice. Your first priority is to remain safe."

Sasuke glanced at Sekai darkly. "The deviant needs training in something other than his talismans. Kain knows all of his moves. At the moment, he's the easiest target with the strongest connection to Naruto."

Sekai scratched the back of his head nervously. "Heh, that's true…"

Kakashi smiled. "Well, Sasuke-kun, since you suggested it, does that mean you want to take charge of his training?"

"What? No!" Sasuke wanted as little to do with the freak as possible.

Naruto glared at him nastily, his irritation over his friend's dislike of his brother returning. "I'll do it!"

"I don't see why we all can't help," Sakura tried to intervene, not wanting the two of them to get into another fight.

Sekai was flushing. "It's really not that big of a deal…"

"Idiot," Sasuke snapped at him, "if you can't defend yourself then what's the point? We might as well throw you back into that cell."

"No way!" Naruto objected.

"Now, now," Kakashi said gently. "Let's discuss this later. We've all had a long day, so how about we go relax at the hot springs?"

Sekai's eyes widened and he stared at Kakashi with a peculiar expression. "… Hot springs?"

"Yes."

The grin that formed on Sekai's face could only be described as manic, and the sound he emitted was very strange. It sounded like an odd, happy squeak.

"Pervert," Yume proclaimed, calmly glaring in his general direction.

Sekai just squeaked again.

-

"BANZAI!"

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sai all winced, expecting the shouter to come jumping into the water, splashing them liberally, but nothing happened.

Naruto grinned at them cheekily from the water's edge. "Gotcha."

Kakashi sagged in relief. Sai smiled and laughed softly, accepting the joke. Sasuke glared sourly.

"Idiot," he said.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke before letting his towel drop.

Sasuke turned away quickly, his face aflame, but it was too late—in that peek he'd seen enough to nearly make his mind explode in excitement. The last time he had seen Naruto naked was the last time they'd gone to the hot springs together—when they were thirteen. _He's grown up a LOT since then…_

Naruto slipped into the water and sat down close to Sasuke. His eyes kept straying to the burn on the boy's neck, the remnants of Sasuke's curse mark. When Orochimaru had died the power of his curse had faded with him, but at the moment of his death it had burned the skin, forever leaving an imprint of what had been there. Sasuke said he did not miss the extra power, since it had only been overriding his own chakra, taxing his body and shortening his lifespan whenever he used it. Still, the reminder was there, and Naruto tried to make his gaze stay focused on Sasuke's dark eyes instead. "Hey, you okay? Your face is all red."

"I—It's the water," Sasuke lied quickly, not meeting those wide blue eyes.

Naruto sitting so close did not help matters either. It was far too tempting to reach out and touch the tanned skin he so desired. The knowledge that they weren't alone kept his body at bay though.

"Eh?" Naruto didn't think the water was that warm, but he shrugged it off as Sasuke just acting weird. He turned back toward the changing room. "Aniki, hurry up!"

"Coming!" called Sekai cheerfully and no sooner than he said it he was walking outside to join them—not bothering to keep covered up either. His towel was slung over his shoulder, putting his lithe body on display. Sekai grinned cheekily at all of them and waved as he sat his towel down beside Naruto's. "Sorry, I was tying up my hair." He pointed to the little pony tail holding his short locks away from his face. (He'd also had had to remove his talismans, which he'd gotten back after his release.)

Kakashi carefully did not look, knowing it would only encourage him. Sasuke rolled his eyes, not at all impressed. Naruto blushed. Sai studied him rather openly before turning to Naruto.

"His penis is bigger than yours."

"What?!" Naruto gaped at him, affronted. "Stop it with the penis stuff! And don't stare at my brother!"

Sai was confused. "Why not? I don't think he minds…"

Sekai giggled as he slipped into the water, joining the other four men in their semi-circle surrounded by rocks. "Don't worry, Sai-kun, I don't." He winked at the confused boy playfully.

Sai looked back at Naruto. "See?"

Naruto blushed more, not really knowing what to say to that.

"Oh, Sai-kun!" Sekai spoke cheerfully and animatedly. "I noticed in the changing room—you have really nice feet! I bet you take good care of them. They're super cute."

Sai had never really thought about his feet before, so he couldn't say for sure if he took good care of them or not. "I've heard that you can tell the size of a man's penis by his shoe size," he offered, since it was slightly related to the subject.

Sekai blinked at him slowly. "… I like you."

Sai was confused again. _I wonder why he said that…I was just making interesting conversation, like that book said. Perhaps it's working?_

Sekai smiled at him goofily and slithered closer to him to talk some more. "You know, they say the same thing about hands too."

"And noses," Sai added, smiling back politely.

"Oh right!"

"I wonder if any of that is really true…"

Sekai giggled. "I hope not, my feet aren't very long." He held his up to emphasis his point.

Sai frowned at the foot thoughtfully. "They look about average for someone your age…"

"Sure, if they're stunted at growth."

"Even so, your feet look very nice as well," Sai added, because he'd learned from Sakura that giving compliments was good. Besides, in this case, it happened to be true.

Sekai grinned widely again. "Thank you, Sai-kun."

"Especially your toes."

Sekai blushed, though happily. "You think so?"

Sai nodded. "Do you not believe me?"

"Oh, no, that's not it at all," Sekai reassured. "I'm just not used to so many compliments in quick succession."

Sai thought about that. "Is that why you act so audaciously, in order to get compliments?"

Sekai blushed. "Ah, well… I suppose so." He giggled lightly. "Though I don't get them anyway—most people just think I'm strange."

"Hmm. Well, your behavior _is_ rather strange, but it's still nice to me," Sai told him truthfully. He had been thinking it since their conversation the night before. Sekai seemed kind of sad, as if he had suffered a lot, but he found reasons to remain cheerful. To someone who had been taught to be emotionless and did not have many reasons to be truly cheerful, Sai thought that was rather remarkable.

Sekai beamed, incredibly pleased. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. "Thank you. I think you're nice too."

Sai blinked, not having expected that. "Really?"

"Do you not believe me?" Sekai repeated his earlier statement teasingly.

"Ah, well, that is… I am not used to compliments either."

Sekai giggled. "We'll give each other compliments from now on, then maybe we'll both get more used to it."

"That sounds good. I think it's safe to say—given the dialogue—that we're friends now, right?" Sai asked before smiling.

Sekai smiled back widely, figuratively soaring with happiness. Becoming friends with these people was something he'd wanted very much. "I'd like that a lot."

Kakashi smiled at the two from beneath his mask, their cheerfulness almost contagious. Glancing at the other two boys, he saw Naruto was smiling happily at the two, glad that his brother was making friends with his friends.

Sasuke however seemed not to be paying any attention at all. He sat in the water very stiffly and there was a troubled crease between his brows. Something was obviously making him nervous, but the older ninja could not figure out what it could be.

"Sasuke-kun," Kakashi asked softly, "are you alright?"

This interrupted Sai and Sekai's conversation and everyone turned to look at Sasuke. For a moment, just a moment, the Uchiha appeared to panic at the attention, but just as quickly the expression was gone. It was like watching someone shut the blinds to a window—once more his expression was emotionless.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Sasuke asked, raising a fine eyebrow at his teacher.

Naruto was already concerned though. "Is the water still bothering you?"

Sasuke's light flush returned unbidden. "Ah, no…"

Naruto leaned closer, putting his face within scant inches of his friend's. "Are you sure?"

Sasuke swallowed and covered up his nervousness with a scowl. "_Yes_."

Naruto pouted. Sasuke was doing it again; he shutting him out! "You don't need to get snappy, I'm just concerned… I mean, we're friends, I'm allowed to be concerned about you, right?"

"You don't need to be. There's nothing wrong with me," Sasuke told him, not very reassuring as he tried to lean away from Naruto's face. The other boy was close and his body heat was much warmer than the water. Had it only been a few hours ago when he'd been allowed to be held close to that body? He wanted to have that closeness back, and more. Sasuke craved it with his entire being.

But Naruto did not want that. He just wanted them to be friends. _Brothers_ even.

Naruto leaning so closely was just too cruel.

"Naruto-nii," said Sekai, leaning across the water and touching his brother's shoulder, gently pulling him away. "Sasuke's fine, really. He's not the type that appreciates being coddled. All he needs is space."

Naruto blinked at his brother before nodded slowly. "Okay."

Sekai smiled.

Sasuke eyed the two of them before sighing quietly, willing his body to relax. He glared at Sekai. _I suppose I owe him a little for that one…_

Then Sekai winked and Sasuke knew then that he somehow knew his secret. His glare hardened. _Don't you dare tell him!_

"Nice night we're having," Sekai proclaimed, sitting back next to Sai and looking up at the stars.

"I agree," said Sai, and their nonsensical conversation picked up once more.

-

On the girls' side of the hot springs, Yume and Sakura were sharing tea peacefully.

"You're really eighteen?!" Sakura gasped, unbelieving. It couldn't be true—Yume was so small, like a young child!

The sightless girl smiled, not at all surprised she wasn't believed. "I get that reaction a lot."

"I would imagine so…"

-

It was well after dark when Saburo returned to where he had left Kain. He'd had to cover up his tracks more effectively—and damn it, how had the old man let down his guard enough to let a bunch of ninja kids follow him anyway?!

Saburo sighed and swung the large wooden door shut behind him, locking it, and heading over to where Kain was still lying down. Without a word he kneeled down beside the man's feet and rolled up his pant leg to get at the wound.

"Saburo dear."

"Don't talk," said the younger man blandly. "I might miss up on this stitching and poke an artery." He said it in a way that proclaimed he wouldn't be too heartbroken if he did.

Kain ignored the warning. "Tell me this isn't a monastery."

"This isn't a monastery," Saburo said, mock obedient.

"You bastard."

"Stop complaining. The place is all burned up and falling apart anyway. No monks, no prayer beads, no intact statues of Buddha—just you, me, and some rats. Oh, and my sake, but you can't have any. I had to burn my house down because of you, after all." After all this was over, that was going to be the sorest part. He'd been rather fond of that house.

"I notice that you saved the sake though."

"Naturally. As if I'd sacrifice that for your sorry ass."

"Do I really want a drunken asshole stitching my wounds? Ow!" Kain winced as the needle dug into his skin particularly painfully.

Saburo grinned in the near-darkness. "Sorry. I told you not to talk."

"Damn it, light more candles at least!"

"Do I tell you how to do your job?"

"Constantly."

Saburo ignored that. "Fuck, this is pretty bad. Yume-chan got you good."

"Will I live?" Kain asked mildly.

"You've lost a lot of blood. Getting your revenge on Sekai-kun will have to wait for now. Also, this isn't going to heal properly." Saburo smirked nastily. "You'll be walking around with a really creepy limp for the rest of your life, you old pervert."

Kain smirked back. "That's just like you to enjoy my pain."

"Naturally."

"I remember when you used to enjoy my _pleasure_ too," Kain hazarded.

Saburo snorted. He finished stitching and then bandaging the leg before pulling out the sake bottle again. "If you think you're gonna get into my pants again after making me burn down my house, you'd better think again—or this time I'll cut it off."

Kain just chuckled. "You keep saying that. I notice you haven't done it yet."

"Laziness. It'll be my downfall."

"Speaking of, you could have lent me a hand with those kids."

"What, the big bad scary Kain-sama needs help with killing widdle kiddies?" Saburo snorted again and took a long drink. "Fuck you, old man. I've got enough blood on my hands because of you."

Kain did not argue that point. "Then why help me at all?"

Saburo glared into the dark night. "I don't know."

Neither spoke again until morning.

TBC. A new day in Konoha brings new challenges for Sekai as Kakashi decides to begin his training as a ninja.


	6. Open Up Your Mind

Chapter Six: Open Up Your Mind

They met the next morning in their old training ground once again. For Team Seven this was significantly important since this was the first time in three years they had all been together in this place.

It was not too early, though all of them looked more or less tired. They had also arrived in the pairs they had stayed in the night before—Sakura and Yume, Naruto and Sekai, and Sasuke and Sai. Kakashi had left on his own, though he had promised he would be spending the night with a friend. He had not said who.

Kakashi was also a few hours late.

"That idiot sensei," Sakura grumbled irritably. "He can't even be early when he _knows_ we'll be worried about him!"

"I do hope it's just his normal habitual lateness," Sekai murmured before biting his lip and looking at Yume. "You haven't seen anything, have you, Yume-chan?" he asked, referring to the girl's powers.

Yume shook her head. She sat cross-legged on the ground with a pink umbrella (borrowed from Sakura) propped up beside her, keeping her pale skin out of the sun. Even so, beads of sweat were appearing on her forehead. "I have not. But I have confidence that if he were in danger, I would see it, even awake."

Naruto smiled reassuringly, putting an arm around Sekai's shoulders. "Yeah, he's probably just reading porn and lost track of time." He looked around at their assembled group and suddenly noticed someone else missing. "Eh? Where'd Sasuke go?" The Uchiha had been standing next to Sakura a minute ago. Now he was gone.

"Over there," Sakura announced, pointing behind him. She had noticed Sasuke quietly walking away from their group but had not commented. She did not know how to handle Sasuke these days—even less so now than she had before he'd left. Sasuke would never be the same as before and still had yet to show any interest in her (or Ino or anyone else for that matter). Naruto may have brought Sasuke home for her, but Sasuke had come home for Naruto. She was certain of that.

Naruto turned and saw the Uchiha prostrating in front of the memorial statue a few yards away. "I'm gonna go see what he's doing," he announced to the others before walking over.

Sasuke wasn't doing anything interesting though, merely sitting in front of the monument with his eyes closed. Naruto watched him for a few minutes, because his expression was peaceful, though still terribly blank. The wind was started to pick up and calmly swayed his dark bangs to and fro. The whole effect was very fascinating to Naruto, who stood and watched for a long moment.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked eventually, not opening his eyes.

Naruto jumped, his daze broken. He flushed when he realized he had been admiring his friend's looks. (Not for the first or last time.) "Um, just seeing what you're doing."

"Paying respects," Sasuke stated plainly, not seeing a reason to lie.

"Eh?"

That made Sasuke open his eyes, though he did not look up at Naruto. "I don't regret what I did. I sacrificed a lot to get the powers I have now. But it doesn't mean I'm completely heartless either."

"I know," Naruto said, because Sasuke had sounded a little defensive. "You have a good heart, I believe that."

Sasuke closed his eyes again, his hands tightening into fists. "I wish I did." There wasn't enough left of him to be considered "good." How could he be? Just a month ago he had tried to kill the person he loved the most in the entire world! Granted, he hadn't gone through with it, and sealing the Kyuubi had actually done Naruto a favor, but that was beside the point.

Naruto felt his chest tighten at that confession. He glanced back at their friends and saw they weren't looking, but it wouldn't have mattered too much if they were. He knelt down on the ground and threw his arms around Sasuke's neck, pulling the dark haired boy close to him.

"Naruto?" Sasuke stiffened and opened his eyes in surprise, but he could not see Naruto's face from this angle, only fuzzy, bright blond hair.

"I'll believe it enough for both of us!" Naruto told him firmly, tightening his arms in case Sasuke tried to pull away.

And Sasuke relaxed, deciding to enjoy this offered touch once more. It was far more than he deserved and it probably wouldn't happen again. He melted against Naruto's warmth, resting his cheek against his friend's shoulder and simply _breathing_. The knots in his stomach and thoughts whirling in his mind all ceased for the moment.

Naruto grinned when he felt Sasuke relax and, shyly, reached up to run a hand through his soft hair. Sekai had done that to him on occasion and Naruto thought it was very soothing. He was rewarded with a quiet noise of contentment.

Sasuke did feel rather content. His penis was also twitching in interest, but he willed it to relax as well. Nothing would come of this. Naruto wasn't interested, and even if he was, they were in public, and—_fuck_, how long had he been sitting there, letting the blond hold him? Was he _that_ starved for affection?

_Yes, when it's from him,_ a traitorous voice in his head answered.

Kakashi didn't catch sight of them until after he'd walked around the memorial, and even then, he couldn't believe it. His mind would not quite process what it was seeing and he stared at them for a long moment before his memory of Sasuke's behavior from the previous night returned.

_They couldn't… No way…_

But it made a twisted sort of sense, Kakashi had to admit.

_Don't tell me that all this time, their rivalry was really sexual tension? That's just… That's just so… cliché…_

"Ohh!" Gai said when he caught sight of them. "Two rivals surpassing their antagonism and embracing as brothers—it does my heart good to see this!"

Kakashi wanted to scoff. _Rivals? Brothers? I don't think so…_

The two boys had sprang apart the moment Gai had spoken. They looked wide-eyed up at the teachers before looking back at each other. As one, they flushed deep crimson and looked away.

_Damn it,_ Sasuke thought because they had been caught.

_Damn it,_ thought Naruto because it was over too soon.

Not far away, they _had_ been watched, but Sekai was surprisingly not angry at the interruption. Normally he would have been, if the man did not fit the description of someone else he had been waiting to meet. "Ne ne, Sai-kun? Could that man with Kakashi-sama—Could that be Maito Gai?" he asked his new friend excitedly.

Sai nodded. "Yes, that's him." He hadn't even gotten the entire sentence out before stars figuratively appeared in Sekai's eyes and he was running toward the two men.

"He seems… rather excited…" Sakura remarked unsurely.

Yume giggled. She recognized the sound of Gai's voice from her visions. "Sekai loves Gai-san and Rock Lee-san. They never fail to make him laugh—and laughs were hard to come by back then."

"Hello, Gai-sama!" chirped Sekai happily, hopping to a stop in front of the green leotard-wearing man.

Gai blinked at Sekai. "I'm sorry, young lady, do I know you?"

Kakashi sighed. "That's a boy, Gai-kun, and no, you don't know him."

"Eh? But he's wearing a dress!"

"You're wearing a bright green leotard."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?!"

Sekai giggled. "I think you look very nice in it, Gai-sama."

Gai beamed. "It's good to see some young people have good fashion sense these days." This made Sekai beam widely. "But if you're a boy, why do you wear a dress?"

"It's my goal in life to be as effeminate as humanly possible," Sekai offered cheekily.

"Ohh… Well, you do it very well."

"Thank you!"

Kakashi rubbed his forehead. "Gai-kun, I'll see you later. Thanks again."

"No problem! What are rivals for? Just be sure you're not late tonight."

"Yeah. Want me to pick up some curry on the way home?"

"Please!"

After being introduced to Sekai and Yume properly, and saying hello to the other teens, Gai bid his farewells and left.

"Don't tell me you have a crush on him too?" Kakashi hazarded to ask, though he really did not want to know. His brain couldn't take much more of these little wanderings out of his comfort zone.

"Why? Are you jealous?" Sekai winked.

"No," Kakashi told him flatly.

"Hmm, so mean…" Sekai pouted playfully before his smile returned. "No, I don't. At least, not in the way you think. Gai-sama makes me laugh. That's all." Perhaps it was being simple-minded, but he liked people who made him laugh…

"Ah… Well, are you ready then?"

"Yes!"

Last night, after Sekai and Sai finally exhausted every sexually-oriented topic they could think of (which were quite a lot as it turned out), they had begun discussing what was to be done. Kakashi had seen the sense Sasuke's earlier suggestion had—that Sekai be trained as a ninja. So that was what they were here to do today.

Though Sekai knew some basics, his training had been very different from what shinobi were used to (or so Kakashi figured, Sekai was unnaturally tight-lipped about what exactly his training had entailed). And they would all be participating in the teaching—Sakura was a Chuunin after all, Sai was ANBU, and Naruto and Sasuke were nearly Jounin level—despite the fact that they had yet to participate in a second Chuunin exam. (Kakashi supposed he should talk about that with them at some point, but lately there had been too many things going on.)

Sakura showed Sekai some rudimentary hand seal exercises she remembered from the academy—since he had little to no technique or seal forming knowledge. Though he was slow at first, he learned quickly enough after about an hour of practice. By now, Yume was sitting underneath the shade of a tree with Sai to keep her company. Sai watched and explained to the blind girl what was going on.

"Alright," said Kakashi, "now let's move along—but first, remove your talismans. We wouldn't want you to accidentally use them and cheat now, would we?"

Sekai flushed a little and the talismans gathered from around his body into his hand and he pocketed them in his dress. Then he was taught his first technique.

Sasuke snorted when a deformed clone appeared beside Sekai. He eyes gleamed as he smirked at Naruto. "Déjà vu."

Naruto glared at him. "Lay off, you jerk. He can keep up with you when he's using his talismans—you said so yourself!" And keeping up with Sasuke in a fight was hard. He knew that from personal experience.

"That reminds me." Sasuke turned to Kakashi. "I get to _teach_ the deviant taijutsu."

Sekai paled and murmured, "I have bad karma…"

Sasuke smirked as though he agreed.

This just made Naruto angrier. "You asshole, don't beat up my brother!"

"Oiya oiya, Sasuke-kun," Sekai said, glancing between them nervously and feeling as though all that 'hugging' progress was flying out the window, "pissing him off won't help you any."

Sasuke glared at him darkly, the strength of which made the older blond shiver. "Shut up. Just shut up." If he told Naruto he'd kill him.

"Don't tell Aniki to shut up!" Naruto yelled in his face.

"Boys!" Kakashi interjected as lightly as he could. "If you can't behave, mommy's going to have to ground you."

Naruto turned his back on Sasuke, still glaring but attempting to calm down. Sasuke rolled his eyes and went to stand beside Sakura. Sakura let out a sigh of relief, never having enjoyed their fights from the beginning.

Kakashi looked back at Sekai. "Alright, let's try that again," he said and began to inform the older Uzumaki what he had done wrong.

Having been dependant on the talismans for so long, Sekai had very bad chakra molding skills for someone his age. Thankfully Sakura was there, who had always been extremely talented in this area and had even managed to teach Naruto a few things back when they were twelve. She would kindly (because she was growing fond of the older boy even though he tended to make Sasuke angry) give Sekai advice.

Though with every failure Sai could tell he was struggling to keep smiling.

Something told him this was not just fatigue however.

He said as much to Yume.

The girl's lips tightened in a frown. "You'll have to ask him about it. I don't have the right to say anything on that subject. I recommend you not ask around Naruto though—he doesn't want Naruto know about any of it."

There was something about that that bothered Sai more than he could describe.

-

They took a break after lunch, but soon after they finished Sai asked if he could talk to Sekai alone.

The blond smiled, though he was obviously confused by the sudden request. "Of course."

Sai led the way a short distance away, so that they were still within the group's line of sight, but enough so that they would not be overheard.

"Is something wrong?" Sekai asked, leaning back against a tree with his arms folded over his chest. From the serious look on Sai's face he could tell something was bothering the ANBU.

"Did Kain berate you when you made mistakes?" Sai asked bluntly, not seeing the point in hedging around the subject. He felt a little guilty when his question made the blond flinch however.

Sekai looked away from him and did not answer. Shame filled him—he did not want any of them to know about _that_.

"Did he hit you?" Sai prodded. He knew this was hurting Sekai, but he needed to know. He did not know _why_ he did, he was still not used to letting his emotions guide him like this, but he just knew that was how he felt.

Sekai took a deep breath. "Not when I was little." He looked at the dark haired boy pleadingly. "Please don't tell Naruto."

"I won't," Sai promised, and felt relieved when Sekai smiled a little. "I only bring it up because you seem to be losing confidence. If you do that, you'll never progress. Kakashi is not Kain. You won't be punished for making a mistake and none of us are expecting you to be perfect on your first day. You must relax and focus."

Realization dawned on Sekai's face as he spoke. "Sai, were you…?"

Sai did not answer, carefully keeping his face expressionless.

Sekai somehow seemed able to interpret that. Sadly, he put his arms around the taller boy and held him close. "Thank you," he said, for the veiled confession and for the words of encouragement.

Stunned at the contact, Sai tensed at the feel of arms wrapping around his bare waist. The last time anyone had hugged him was his brother, and he had been a child then. Eventually he found himself relaxing, because Sekai's body was warm and inviting.

He had read that hugs were a way to give comfort to someone you cared about. He supposed that was what Sekai was doing.

But why was his heart suddenly beating so fast?

Slowly, he hugged the other boy in return, feeling decidedly awkward about it, wondering if he was doing it right. "You're welcome," he returned, though he felt _he_ should be the one thanking Sekai. The blond felt… _good_ in his arms.

When Sekai pulled away he was decidedly brighter. "Okay! I'm ready for another round of training!" He thrust a fist into the air as he said this.

Sai smiled, glad he had helped.

-

Naruto watched his brother embracing his friend and was confused. "What do you think they're doing?"

Sasuke glanced at them before snorting. "Probably less than the deviant wants to."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked with a scowl. "And stop calling him that!"

"I will when he stops calling me 'evil kitty.'"

"Well, I could call you 'evil duck' instead, but it doesn't have the same ring to it," Sekai quipped as he and Sai came walking back.

Sasuke felt his eye twitching uncontrollably. "Evil duck?"

Sekai beamed and made a queer upward motion behind his head before pointing at Sasuke. "Your hair looks like a duck's backside."

Naruto burst out laughing at the imagery, looking at Sasuke with delight. "Yeah, yeah, he does!"

That was **it**. That was absolutely **it!** Sasuke stood up, abandoning the rest of his lunch, glaring at Sekai with enough force to scare him.

"I guess it's time for our rematch?" Sekai asked quietly, and his eyes gleamed with the same anticipation from when they had first met.

Only now it pissed him off much more than it had then, because the face he glared at wasn't a dark-skinned girl's. At that moment, Sekai had never looked more like Naruto. Sasuke hated him for that. "Yes."

"Sasuke, wait!" Naruto tried to intervene. "It was just a joke, you don't need to get that mad!"

Sekai smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Naruto-nii. Sasuke-kun and I are merely going to have a friendly training session."

"But…"

Sasuke smirked, but his eyes stayed on Sekai. "Don't interfere, Naruto."

Naruto stood and moved in front of Sasuke, face set in hard, disapproving lines. "If you hurt him, I'll never forgive you."

Sasuke knew he meant it. He nodded once to acknowledge his words. _I won't hurt him… badly…_

"Yes," remarked Sekai softly, eyes still gleaming. "We wouldn't want that, would we?"

Sasuke growled threateningly. Naruto moved out of the way just before the fighting began. He had never seen his brother fight before and soon found himself unable to look away. As someone who had fought Uchiha Sasuke more than once, and had barely lived to tell the tale (three times), Naruto knew how difficult it was. But even though Sekai did not know much about ninjutsu, he knew enough about hand to hand combat to keep Sasuke from killing him.

Sasuke was on the offense, as was his usual style, putting Sekai on the defensive. Every blow that Sasuke delivered was either blocked or evaded entirely.

Naruto watched in awe.

"Kakashi-sensei, can't you stop them?" Sakura asked, turning to the Jounin pleadingly.

Kakashi shook his head soberly. "I gave up trying to give Sasuke-kun advice a long time ago…"

The dark haired fighter swung his leg with incredible speed at Sekai's head, but somehow the blond saw it coming and he caught the limb, quickly sending his own at Sasuke's head as though to mirror him. Sasuke caught it easily and jumped up to send his free leg toward Sekai's waist. Sekai brought up his own leg and kicked back. The impact sent them both tumbling to the ground. There was a mad scuffle between them, with their limbs tangled as they were, and in the end Sasuke was the victor, sitting atop the blond, holding him down bodily.

Sekai struggled, pulling at the steel-like grip on his wrists before going still. He looked up at Sasuke and waited to see what he would do next.

"If you tell him, I'll kill you," Sasuke seethed in his face, low so the others wouldn't hear him.

Sekai gave a small smile, head quirking to the side curiously. "Like you did Orochimaru?"

-

_Panting from exertion as much as from the adrenalin and increased chakra burning through his veins, Sasuke could feel his hand-like wings flexing up and down as he breathed. Even with the curse seal fully activated, he could barely keep up with Orochimaru, but they were winning. Kakashi, Sakura, and Sai were tangling with Kabuto and the other Sound ninjas, leaving the legendary one-third to them._

_Beside him, Naruto was slowly getting to his feet. Sasuke spared him a glance to be sure his wounds weren't life threatening before quickly turning his gaze back to Orochimaru. The old man was bleeding as much as they were, and the skin was pealing away from his face, revealing the last carrier's._

_Orochimaru laughed in that creepy manner that was solely his own. "Sasuke-kun… You both surprise and disappoint me, turning against me at this last moment." He had been so close to accomplishing his goal of attaining the Sharingan and Sasuke's body. He would not fail now. But Sasuke had learned well in the past three years—more secrets than Orochimaru had meant for him to know—and he knew he had little time left in this body. If he did not make the transfer soon, it would be over. He would not let it be over._

_Sasuke knew this, of course. But there were still things he was not yet willing to throw away completely. It had taken him a long time to realize it. Now he knew—even after being apart from Naruto for so long, fighting beside him now—it felt _right_. "I follow my own path. Not Itachi's—or yours."_

_Orochimaru smirked. "Do you really think you can defeat your brother on your own?"_

"_I will. I don't need you, nor do I belong to you." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Naruto smiling at him brightly._

"_If so, then why do you use the seal's power?" The older ninja's gleaming yellow eyes turned to Naruto, smirk turning nasty. "Are you that much in lo—?"_

_Sasuke was in front of him in a flash, fist connecting with his former master's jaw before he could finish. Then the wings disappeared from his back, his eyes returned to normal, and the black flames rolled over his skin before crawling back to the mark on his neck. _

"_I don't need it to defeat you," Sasuke told him and activated his Chidori just as he saw Naruto perform the Rasengan. _

_-_

Sasuke's hands tightened on Sekai's wrists, causing the older boy to flinch. "Is that how you know?" he demanded sharply.

"No," Sekai said, and his expression softened. He looked up at Sasuke with the same fondness he normally reserved for Naruto. "I knew when you threw yourself between Naruto and Haku to protect him—and not knowing _why_. But I knew. The two of you are meant to be together. I believe that."

That took Sasuke aback. He wasn't sure what to think about it really.

Sekai grinned and wiggled his hips a little. "Wish it was Naruto down here, don't you? Writhing beneath you wantonly…"

He couldn't have said anything better to diffuse what he'd said before. Sasuke's fist collided with his jaw.

In the next second Naruto was on him. The two tumbled and somehow the blond ended up on top, in much the same way Sasuke had had his brother pinned down. "You asshole, I told you not to hurt him!"

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried worriedly. Beside her, she felt Kakashi tense and could tell the Jounin was ready to jump in. He did not have to, however.

"Naruto-nii, it's alright!" Sekai said immediately, scrambling over to them and putting his arm around his little brother. Blood was smeared on his cheek but he was otherwise unharmed.

"Why did he hit you?!"

"I said something he didn't like."

Sasuke glared at him. "You have a fucking death wish."

Sekai grinned at him crookedly. "Even so, you're going to have to face it sometime."

Naruto blinked. "Face what?"

"Sasuke-kun will tell you when he's ready," Sekai told him contentedly, tugging Naruto gently off of Sasuke.

Naruto blinked at Sasuke with wide, confused eyes. "Tell me what?"

Sasuke looked away from him. "_Nothing_. Absolutely nothing." He saw Sekai looking at him with a pitying gaze and his glower returned full force.

"I'm not going to tell him," Sekai answered the unsaid threat with a grin. "It's more fun if you do it!"

And that was how the first training session went.

-

Later that night as they were getting ready for bed, Naruto asked, "What were you and Sasuke talking about earlier?"

Sekai slipped his borrowed black t-shirt over his head before pulling on the borrowed boxer shorts. Both were a little big for him, but the contrast between this nightwear and his normal attire was strong. It definitely made him look more masculine. "I said it already—I'm not going to tell you. It's up to him."

Naruto sighed loudly and fell back onto the bed, feeling emotionally drained after this afternoon. Then again, everything dealing with Sasuke was usually exhausting. "Why does he hate you so much?" he asked softly.

Sekai smiled gently and ran his fingers through Naruto's short fuzzy hair. "I think it's because he knows how fond you are of me, and it makes him a little jealous."

"Jealous?"

Sekai nodded. "For two reasons mostly. Firstly, he might feel that the closer you get to me the further you are from him. Secondly, he has an older brother too, as you remember—one that he used to love as much as you love me. The reminder angers him too." Sekai laughed a little. "That and I think that he thinks I look like you."

"Well, you do," Naruto responded with a grin, but he sobered as he thought about what his brother had said. "But I haven't been pulling away from him. I've been trying to get _closer_ to him! He's just so frustrating and stubborn—and I never can tell how he really feels about anything, and every time I think I've made progress the next second we've gone backwards again…"

Sekai stretched out beside Naruto, pulling the other blond close. "The two of you really just need to sit down and talk about things."

Naruto bit his lip. "I want to… But I don't know what to say…"

"Tell him whatever is in your heart."

"It's not that easy, Aniki…" Sekai didn't understand the conflicting feelings Naruto had for Sasuke. "I don't know what's in my heart exactly."

"Do you love him?" Sekai asked bluntly.

Naruto blushed. "Y-Yeah… I think I do. No, I know I love him. I love him a lot. I just… I don't know if… I love him as a friend or…" Or as something more.

Sekai rubbed one of Naruto's flushed, whiskered cheeks with his thumb. "Are you attracted to him?"

His flush deepened. "Erm… Well, yeah…"

Thinking his brother looked adorable, Sekai kissed his cheek, giggling softly. "Sounds like potential to me. Are you worried he doesn't feel the same?"

Naruto nodded, looking thoroughly morose over the fact. "Yeah…" Among other things.

"This is why you need to talk to him. You don't have to do it right away—do it when you're ready."

"But what if he doesn't feel the same?" Naruto asked worriedly. "What if I ruin everything by telling him?"

"The two of you are bonded by a force stronger than anything on this earth," Sekai told him kindly but firmly. "Nothing can destroy that. Just believe it."

Naruto turned over to hug Sekai back, needing the comfort the other's body gave right then. "I guess…"

Sekai kissed his forehead gently. "Get some sleep. It'll be another long day tomorrow."

"'kay."

Naruto drifted off after only a short while. Sekai held him close as though he could somehow protect Naruto from the future by doing so.

_Sasuke… if you hurt him, I'll kill _you

TBC. Remember, kids, reviews help me churn out the chapters faster!


	7. Friend

Chapter Seven: Friend

It was a few days later that Kakashi decided that having Naruto and Sasuke around while Sekai trained was just too distracting.

"Arguments are a strategy that only works for you two," said the masked Jounin, his one visible eye looking at them sternly. The mood between the teens had not improved since the first day. In fact, it was getting worse. "If Sekai-kun is worried about you fighting then he won't concentrate."

Sekai flushed, his feet shifting uneasily. "I don't mean to cause all this trouble…"

Sasuke snorted quietly. _Yeah, right. _He still did not know what Sekai hoped to accomplish by trying to get him to talk to Naruto. It was not any of his business. Whether he told Naruto or not (and he most certainly would _not_), it was his decision. Sekai needed to stay the hell out of it.

Naruto opened his mouth as if to object, but Kakashi cut him off. "Don't argue." If his voice sounded snappish, it was only because he cared for them a great deal—and they were slowly driving him insane. It did not help to know that they were both attracted to each other and too stupid to figure it out. "Go spend some quality time together. Just don't destroy property or I'll get in trouble for setting you loose."

Naruto's face twisted into a grimace. "You make it sound like we're pets."

Kakashi smiled. "_Misbehaving_ pets. Now go on, and be good!"

Sakura took a step forward, frowning worriedly. "Kakashi-sensei, should I go with them?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We're not children. We can go a few hours without trying to kill each other."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow, as if to say _'Oh really? Prove it.'_ "See that you do. And no, Sakura; I need you to stay here and assist me. Your insight is very helpful to Sekai." He was already starting to improve. Though he would never be as powerful as Naruto (few were), Sekai still had incredible potential that became more apparent as the training went on. _Definitely the Fourth's blood…_

Sakura hesitated but nodded. "Alright…" Though she was worried about the two of them being alone together (for more reasons than just their fighting, though it was the main one), she couldn't very well abandon Sekai.

Naruto pouted and folded his arms behind his head. "Damn. The three of us could have had a nice date…"

"Idiot Naruto, three people can't go on a date together!" said Sakura.

Tired of the pointless conversation, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist and began to pull him toward the edge of the clearing. "Come on."

"Good luck, Aniki!" Naruto yelled over his shoulder as he and Sasuke walked away.

Kakashi turned his gaze back to his new pupil when they were gone. Sekai stared after them as if in a daze. "Ready?"

Sekai blinked. "Oh, yeah, sorry. My brain was still stuck on the 'pet' imagery."

"What Naruto and Sasuke would be if they were pets?" asked Sai.

Sekai nodded eagerly. "Naruto-nii would be the dog and Sasuke-kun would be the cat!"

Sai smiled in amusement. "Naruto would bark constantly at everything and chew on the furniture. And lick his balls in front of everyone."

Sekai laughed loudly. "And Sasuke would claw on the furniture and bring dead lizards into the house!"

"And they would chase each other around constantly," Sai added.

"Oh yeah! And—"

Kakashi sighed. Sai and Sekai could go on like this for hours once they found a conversation topic. "Oi. Training?"

Both boys blushed slightly and apologized.

-

They did not speak for a long time as they walked, each boy lost in their respective thoughts. After the first few minutes it was actually quite comfortable—Sasuke was naturally a quiet person and even Naruto could appreciate silence. He may be Konoha's number one hyperactive, loudmouth ninja, but he didn't have to talk _all_ the time.

There was a cool breeze blowing through the treetops that was gradually becoming warmer as morning shifted to afternoon.

Naruto realized that they had left their lunches with the others and his stomach growled loudly. "Er, you wanna get something to eat?" he asked, breaking the silence at last.

Sasuke shrugged. "Sure." He also supposed this meant he was paying, but he didn't mind. The two of them had never had any kind of normal outing together. If felt… nice…

Naruto grinned. "Cool. It's a date then." He blushed, realizing only after it was said how it sounded.

Sasuke's eyes widened marginally, unable to hide his surprise. _A date…?_

"Umm, well, I didn't mean, er…" Naruto stammered nervously.

Sasuke quickly made his face blank again. "Let's go."

"Okay…" Naruto bit his lip and followed, knowing he'd said something wrong. _Geez, I'm letting what Aniki said get to me. I like Sasuke and all—I love him—but… I don't know what I _want

_Would_ he like it if they went on a date?

They were still a few blocks away from Ichiraku's when a loud voice called out to them. "Oi!"

They turned to see that it was Jiraiya walking toward them.

"Pervert hermit!" Naruto called in greeting, smiling.

Jiraiya chuckled. "Hey, brat. Haven't seen you in a while." Then he glanced around suspiciously. "Where's that weird brother of yours? He's not waiting to pull some prank on me again, is he?"

Naruto laughed. "Nah. He's training with Kakashi-sensei."

"Is that so? Well I'm safe then." Then Jiraiya's gaze fell on Sasuke and his face hardened.

Sasuke merely looked back calmly. He had gotten that look from a lot of people since his return. But when Jiraiya looked at him, Sasuke knew the old man was really seeing someone else. It did not bother him though. Jiraiya was foolish and could think whatever he wanted.

"How about I treat you guys to lunch?" Jiraiya asked slowly after a moment. "Princess Tsunade's ordered me not to leave the village because of everything that's going on and I have nothing better to do." In truth it was his own idea to stick around, but saying so might worry Naruto.

"Yeah, yeah!" Naruto cheered. "Ramen!"

"Don't you ever get tired of that?"

"Why would I? It's ramen."

Sasuke smiled inwardly. Naruto really hadn't changed all that much, increased chakra level aside. It was consistencies like this that were reassuring.

That was how the three found themselves sharing a meal together a few moments later.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto cried before digging in with his chop sticks. Sasuke and Jiraiya, sitting on either side of the blond, were much more sedate in their ramen consumption.

"So, Sasuke. Settling back in alright?" Jiraiya asked, glancing at the teen, that hard look still in his eyes.

"I suppose," Sasuke answered apathetically. Whatever the legendary one-third was up to, he could do it without him.

"I'm kind of surprised that no one threw out your things," Jiraiya commented airily. "Not that it matters—it's not like the clothes will fit after three years."

"I wouldn't have let them!" Naruto interjected vehemently around the flavored noodles in his mouth. A few dangled out of his mouth as he spoke. He slurped them up loudly.

Sasuke looked at him, ignoring Jiraiya for the moment. "Why? It's just stuff."

"Because… it would have been like saying you weren't coming back." Naruto grinned. "But you did. You're home."

Sasuke wanted to tell him that _home_ wasn't places or possessions to him. He knew he never would.

Jiraiya's glare hardened. "Not that he cares."

Sasuke glared in return now, tired of the old man's behavior. "Why don't you just say what's on your mind? Spit it out!"

"Fine." He pointed a finger at the dark-haired teen. "You may be a _genius_, but you have no idea about the things that really matter in life. Learning new techniques and getting stronger isn't _everything_! I've seen this happen once before and I won't let it happen again—Naruto doesn't deserve that."

Sasuke snorted derisively, darkly amused. "It's a little too late to say these things. The one you _really_ want to yell at is dead."

"You will be too someday, if you keep following down his path. You're exactly like Orochimaru!"

Naruto was glancing back and forth between his teacher and his best friend, not at all sure what they were arguing about. But that last part he understood very well. "Sasuke is NOT Orochimaru! I'm tired of you saying that!" During his training, for two and a half years, Jiraiya had kept trying to talk him out of pursuing Sasuke. Jiraiya thought Sasuke was a lost cause. "You don't know anything about Sasuke, so just stop it!"

"I know exactly what he is, Naruto!" Jiraiya shouted back.

"No! We aren't you and Orochimaru!"

Sasuke pushed his unfinished meal away, stood and headed for the street outside the stand. "I came here to eat, not to be insulted."

Naruto glared at his teacher. He cared about Jiraiya too—the old pervert was a good friend—but this was something they just weren't going to agree on. "I'm going too." He stood up to run after his friend.

"Naruto, wait!" Jiraiya tried, but Naruto ignored him.

He was surprised to find Sasuke outside waiting for him. He smiled awkwardly. "I thought you'd be long gone by now…"

Sasuke shrugged one shoulder. "We're supposed to stay together, remember?"

"Yeah, I know, but…" Naruto shifted uneasily, feeling a heaviness in his chest. He was not fond of verbal fights. Fighting with fists, now, that was something he understood. "I'm sorry about how he's acting. He's stupid sometimes."

"He was trying to protect you," Sasuke hazarded to point out. Tsunade had been the same when he had first come back, though not nearly as obnoxious. Naruto seemed to draw protectiveness from people.

"There's nothing to protect me from! I mean it; you're not like that evil bastard."

Sasuke was quiet for a long moment as they walked away from the ramen stand. "Thanks," he said finally, almost too softly for Naruto to hear.

Naruto grinned brightly, the heaviness leaving him for the moment. He'd talk to Jiraiya later after they had both cooled down and get his teacher to realize Sasuke wasn't a bad person. "You don't _need_ to thank me for that, Sasuke. We're best friends, right? I'll stick by you no matter what."

He wasn't sure, but Sasuke's face almost seemed to soften for a moment before the look was quickly gone. "Yeah. Best friends."

Naruto groaned suddenly as his stomach twisted in hunger. "Stupid pervert hermit, he made me abandon my ramen!"

Sasuke smirked. "You gave up ramen on my account? I'm flattered." For Naruto, that was almost a declaration of love. _Fuck, I did _not_ just think that…_

Naruto grinned. "You should be."

"Let's go somewhere else."

"Sure." Naruto caught a whiff in the air of frying meat and headed toward the restaurant closest to them at that moment. "This looks cool."

Inside they saw a familiar trio sitting together at one of the tables.

"Do you really have to smoke when we're eating?" Ino was complaining. Shikimaru had picked up smoking since Asuma's death and it was starting to annoy her. She knew he actually hated it, but smoking was how he coped. (1)

Shikamaru took one last puff before extinguishing his cigarette in the ashtray at his elbow. It was too troublesome to argue with her about it. "Happy now?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Geez, I don't know how Temari puts up with that. If I were your girlfriend, I'd make you quit."

Shikamaru fixed his eyes on the window. "She's not my girlfriend."

"Yeah, right." Ino was just about to tease him about how obvious he was when her eyes were caught by one of the figures entering the restaurant. "Sasuke-kun! Come join us! You can sit next to me if you want," she added hopefully.

Sasuke very pointedly sat down beside Naruto once the blond boy took a seat beside Shikamaru. The seat was a little tight for all three of them but they managed.

"Or across from me," said Ino, recovering quickly. "Whatever makes you happy." She winked.

Shikamaru exchanged a look with Chouji. The girl just did not know when to give up. "So what has your team been up to?" he asked after Sasuke and Naruto had made their orders—and Chouji had ordered his third.

"Oh!" Naruto said excitedly. "You haven't met Aniki yet!"

Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru blinked at the blond. "Aniki?" they chorused.

"He's a cross-dressing deviant—but Naruto's fond of him," Sasuke added quickly.

Naruto rolled his eyes and let the insult slide (this time) as he told their friends all about the happenings of the past week (whilst eating of course).

Chouji chewed thoughtfully. "You know, the weirdest stuff only happens to you guys."

"I heard about someone being arrested for trying to steal something from the vault in the Hokage Tower," remarked Shikamaru. "Though I didn't know who it was until now. I suppose Hokage-sama wanted to keep it quiet."

Ino leaned forward. "So you have a lot of free time now, right, Sasuke-kun? As long as you're with someone?"

Sasuke felt his eye twitching. "Yes…"

"Well, what do you say to going out this evening with me?"

"Sorry," said Sasuke hastily. "We have plans." He jerked his thumb at Naruto.

Naruto blushed inexplicably. "We do?" He hissed sharply as Sasuke kicked his shin underneath the table. At his friend's glare he quickly amended, "Oh yeah, we do."

"Oh?" the girl asked archly, not buying it.

"Er, yeah. He's, uh, staying with Aniki and me tonight," Naruto lied on the spot, badly.

"…Like a sleepover?"

"Yeah!"

Sasuke smirked as Ino's eye started twitching.

Shikamaru waited for the outburst, but it never came so he relaxed. "I'm surprised you aren't freaking out like you did when Naruto stole Sasuke's first kiss." Both boys blushed at the reminder and he smirked knowingly.

Ino grimaced. "Yuck, don't remind me! That was so wrong, even if it was an accident."

Sasuke carefully did not look at anyone. _An accident would have been if our foreheads had hit, not our lips…_ It had been a spur of the moment thing, something left over from the understanding they had had as little kids, but after it had happened he'd panicked, pretending to be as disgusted as Naruto.

Naruto frowned slightly at the girl. At the time he'd been grossed out but now he found he did not mind it so much. In fact, he was starting to get interested in trying it again. "What was wrong about it? We were just kids and all."

Sasuke glanced at him sharply and Naruto's blush renewed. The Uchiha was surprised. He'd expected Naruto to react differently to that memory; definitely not so calmly.

"Two boys shouldn't do that stuff," Ino announced matter-of-factly.

Sasuke snorted and got to his feet. "That is a matter of opinion. Not that a close-minded person would understand." That said he turned to leave after paying for the food. At least this time he'd finished eating.

Naruto, remembering what Sekai had said to him days before, agreed. "Yeah. There's nothing wrong with it," he added before standing to follow Sasuke.

Ino gaped after them, her mind slowly processing what had been going on. _They couldn't… No way…_

Shikamaru smirked as he noticed Sasuke had paid for both his and Naruto's portion of the meal. For the moment, he enjoyed the peace and quiet their exit had awarded.

-

"It was my first kiss too," Naruto admitted a little while later after they'd found a spot on one of the tall towers that overlooked the village, to rest and let the food in their bellies settle.

Sasuke looked at him carefully but the blond would not meet his gaze. "Does that bother you?"

Naruto shifted beside him uneasily. He looked down at their legs dangling over the side of the building. "No, not really."

"You probably would have preferred Sakura," Sasuke said, not believing him.

"Heh heh. Yeah, I would have."

Sasuke felt his chest constrict painfully.

Naruto leaned back on the rooftop, closing his eyes against the sun and smiling. "But I'm over that now. Sakura-chan's relieved. She can chase after you without feeling guilty about hurting my feelings, I guess."

Sasuke found he could suddenly breathe again, just as quickly. Every time he thought Naruto would never change, he would discover all the little and intricate ways that he _had_. It still left him surprised. "Too bad she can't get over _her_ crush."

Naruto opened his eyes, astonished by the confession. "You don't feel the same?"

"No."

"Oh…"

"She knows." They had never spoken of it, but he felt had made it pretty obvious.

"Oh." Naruto was surprised by his need to smile. He tried to remind himself that Sakura was most likely hurt by this revelation, if she did indeed know, but he couldn't help but feel happy. "Hey…"

"What?"

"You wanna really stay over tonight?" Naruto asked quickly, looking at Sasuke with wide eyes. "Please? Aniki won't mind."

Sasuke snorted, thoughts of the other blond immediately putting him in a bad mood again. "I don't doubt that he would. It probably wouldn't be a good idea."

Naruto pouted at him. "I wish you two would get along…"

"Why?" Sasuke asked sharply.

"Because I love you both!" Naruto blushed after he said it, but he didn't take it back. "I don't like feeling like I have to choose between you…"

"What, you want us both to be your brothers?" Sasuke asked, unfazed by the confession. (2)

"What's wrong with that?"

Sasuke sighed. He supposed this had to be said at some point. "Naruto, I have one brother and I want to kill him. I don't want to associate you with him."

"Oh." Naruto found himself smiling at that as he finally understood. Originally when Sai told him what Sasuke had said after their meeting he had been disheartened, but now he understood what the words meant. Sasuke didn't hate him; he hated Itachi. "That's okay then."

Sasuke blinked. "It is?"

"Sure. But you'll still be my friend, right?"

"… Yeah." Was it really that easy? Sasuke couldn't believe it.

"Good." Grinning, Naruto shifted closer so their arms touched. "If… it was just the two of us," he asked slowly, thinking, "would you sleep over?"

"Yeah," Sasuke surprised himself by answering immediately.

Naruto flushed, pleased. They stayed like that for a long time and a silence stretched between them that was not as comfortable as before, but neither of them felt the need to break it regardless.

-

It was approaching dusk when the training session was over. Sekai made it out of the clearing alright, but as soon as they lost sight of the others he began to stumble

Sai caught the tired talisman user instinctively, holding up the slighter boy by his arms. "You pushed yourself too hard again." The blond tended to overexert himself because he very much wanted to prove his worth.

Sekai smiled at him tiredly. "Hey, I have more stamina than it looks." He winked.

The ANBU laughed softly. "Really? You might have to prove that."

The blond blushed, taking an entirely different meaning to Sai's words. Then he realized how little that thought bothered him and he gave Sai an appraising look. _Well… He _is_ cute—and he's got that whole 'dark, brooding and sexy' thing going for him—but he's really sweet too. _Sekai let his smile widen in what he thought was an alluring way. "You'd let me?"

Sai just thought the smile was kind of creepy. "I don't think I follow you," he said cautiously.

Sekai laughed a little and stepped away, his legs steadier now. It was probably best if he did not clarify that, given the expression on the other boy's face. He knew one of his faults was flirting before thinking. If he scared Sai off now then he might not want to be his friend anymore. Sekai did not want that to happen. "Ne, Sai-kun, can you come with me for a minute? There's someone I need to talk to."

"Alright," Sai said readily, though confused why Sekai would suddenly change the subject. That was how he found himself, some moments later, on a rooftop near the cliffs, where carved upon were the faces of the five past and present Hokage.

"I couldn't come before," Sekai was saying, "because I didn't want to do it in front of Naruto-nii. But I don't mind doing it in front of you." That said, he turned and walked to the edge of the roof, head tilted toward the face of the Fourth Hokage. "Hi, Dad. I made it. I'm home."

Sai, speechless, could only stand there and listen to him talk, realizing this was what Sekai had meant about needing to talk to someone. He wondered if the boy expected the rock to talk back.

"I probably didn't turn out like you and mom expected," Sekai went on, voice growing softer. "You probably wouldn't like me very much. Most people don't. I'm weird." Then his tone brightened. "But you would love Naruto. You'd be as proud of him as I am. I promise, I'll protect him as much as I can!"

Then Sekai went quiet for a long moment, as if he were trying to think of something to add but deciding after a time that there didn't need to be anymore said. He took a deep breath of cool air and released it slowly, as if expelling inner demons. Then he turned away from the mountain.

"I like you," said his living audience abruptly.

Sekai's cheeks slowly flamed red as his brain processed the words. "What?"

"You said most people didn't like you," Sai reminded. "But I do."

The blush increased. Sekai looked away, smiling shyly "Oh. Yeah, you said that before at the hot springs."

"Naruto likes you very much. You should be aware of that by now. Yume also seems to be very fond of you, even when she teases you."

"I know. I shouldn't dwell on it and just focus on what I do have, but I can't help it." The sadness and insecurity etched on his features was interrupted by a jaw-cracking yawn. "Mmm. I wanna nap now."

"I'll take you home," Sai offered immediately, wishing there was something more he could say, but he had no idea what could be done to make Sekai feel differently.

"Thanks. The doggy and kitty are probably there by now." Sekai brightened. "Let's go make sure they haven't peed on the carpet."

Together they headed toward the apartment the Uzumaki brothers shared.

-

Once Jiraiya was finished speaking, he was surprised to find that Kakashi was laughing. "Eh? This isn't a laughing matter!" Uchiha Sasuke was a serious problem! The hold he had on Naruto was too strong! Something needed to be done.

Kakashi attempted to stifle his amusement. "Sorry, Jiraiya-sama, but… I don't think you have anything to worry about. Unless Orochimaru was secretly in love with you."

"… What?!"

Even after Kakashi explained what he meant, Jiraiya still did not quite believe it.

TBC.

1. I wrote this chapter after 328 but before 341; in retrospect I would not have had Shikamaru continue smoking after defeating Hidan, but I like it well enough not to change it.

2. Naruto said "suki" here which can mean both like and love. (Rather than "ai shiteru" which is closer to "I'm in love with you.") It's commonly used between friends and family members. But, in many cases, it is also used between would-be lovers in anime as well. (Example: Kaworu and Shinji in Neon Genesis Evangelion.)


	8. Change of Pace

Chapter Eight: Change of Pace

Sai was still bothered by Sekai's gloomy mood the next day, so he decided to talk to Sakura. It was just them and Yume sitting in the shade as Naruto and Sasuke were taking a turn assisting Kakashi in Sekai's training. For once, the three of them were not arguing about something. Sekai teased, but Sasuke was bravely remaining calm, though his jaw tightened more than once.

Sai also wanted to speak to Yume, because she had more insight into Sekai's character than he did, since she had known him longer. One step at a time though.

"Sakura," he said, interrupting Sakura's observation of the boys.

Sakura was giggling at a comment Kakashi made about Naruto's stamina, and turned to Sai with a bright smile. "Yes, Sai?"

"What do you do when a friend is depressed?" Sai still felt very inadequate as far as emotions were concerned. He was also rather surprised how strongly he felt about Sekai even though they had known each other only a little over a week. Nor was he sure exactly what he was feeling for the blond. Sai just knew for certain that it wasn't something he could ignore.

A little startled, Sakura did not answer at first so she could properly formulate a response. "Well… You listen to them and find out what they're upset about. But don't push for them to talk, just wait until they're ready."

"But what if you already know what the person is upset about?" Sai asked.

Sakura bit her lip thoughtfully. "Then, you can do something that will cheer them up."

"Like what?"

"Well, it depends on what the person likes. I mean, for example, if they like teriyaki yakisoba, then you could fix it for them."

"Sekai likes cute things," Yume interjected in her soft-toned voice, surprising them both—they hadn't known she'd been listening in.

Sai blinked. "Cute things?"

The small girl shrugged her shoulders elegantly. "I know, it's a wide range and doesn't really narrow down your options. Just buy him the first cute thing that catches your eye. A stuffed toy would be nice. He always used to stare at them from outside toy shops... He likes bears, cats, and ducks, for your reference. Does that help?"

"And a… stuffed toy would cheer him up, do you think?" Sai asked, just to be sure.

Yume smiled gently, hearing the uncertainty in his voice. "It would. He's rather simple-minded sometimes. Like a child. It's why he flirts with everyone and is always trying to piss Sasuke-san off; he doesn't have much of an internal censor."

Sai nodded, though he had already known this. It was one of the things he'd learned to like about Sekai—his open cheerfulness in the face of all things, even if one of those things happened to be an angry Uchiha Sasuke.

Yume's suggestion sounded good enough for him. He just hoped he hadn't misunderstood their advice, as he often did. These things were so confusing…

Sakura smiled kindly and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't stress over it too much. I'm sure whatever you get him Sekai-kun will love."

"Oh he will, the flirt," Yume answered softly, her sightless eyes casting an amused look in the general direction of Sekai. "I'll keep him busy after training is finished. Sakura can take you to a shop and help you pick something out."

Sakura grinned, though she felt a little irritated at being brought into it without being asked first. But it wasn't like Sai could go on his own, and normally Sai took Sekai home after the training was over. This was the best option. Besides, they were all friends now, and Sakura always wanted to help her friends. "Sounds like a plan."

-

Sekai sneezed.

"'scuze you," Naruto said.

Sekai smiled and wiped the sweat off his brow. "Thanks."

Sasuke was frowning at the older Uzumaki, but for once it wasn't because he was angry at him. Sekai seemed to understand what they were showing him, but for some reason he was just slow to pick it up. It was strange, because in fighting Sekai could focus so well. Especially when he used his talismans. Though that must have been because he was used to them…

"Oi, Deviant, how do your talismans work?"

Sekai blinked at the sudden interest. "They're made out of a special paper that holds chakra. Only a very small amount of the user's chakra has to be placed in it and it's amplified. The symbol on the paper reveals its power. Calling the name on the symbol activates the chakra. It's not too different from using ninjutsu, just that you're not just working with your chakra, but the energy that's stored in the talismans."

"Like that chakra conversion technique of yours?"

Sekai nodded. "I'm a little empathic, so I'm particularly susceptible to energy currents."

"Empathic?" asked Naruto, tilting his head in confusion.

"It means I can feel energy through touch," explained Sekai, and he reached out to brush Naruto's cheek gently with light fingers. "It's why I'm always touching people—though I try to restrain myself most of the time unless I know they don't mind." Sasuke snorted at this and Sekai just winked at him. "Well, you're an exception, kitty."

Sasuke's eye twitched, but it did not make him as angry as it had the day before. He knew Naruto wanted them to get along, so he would suffer through the idiot's behavior as much as he could. But if he tried to flirt with him again he'd hit him for sure. "And that's how you get the talismans to move around at will—by controlling the energy stored inside?"

Sekai nodded, though he wasn't sure where Sasuke was going with all this. "Yeah. Do you want to see it again?"

"No. I'm trying to make a point—what we're trying to explain to you, it's the same thing as that. Only you're focusing on your own chakra currents instead of everything else's."

"I see…" Sekai took a deep breath and concentrated. It was strange but nothing he couldn't get used to with practice.

"Try that genjutsu," Sasuke ordered. It was something he was familiar with, and if Sekai could just get his energy flow under control then it wouldn't be so obvious that it was only an illusion.

"Haruko? Sure." Sekai, still concentrating on his own energy, performed the technique. His dark-skinned feminine counterpart stood in his place.

At the same time, Sasuke activated his Sharingan so he could see his progress more clearly. "A little bit less chakra. Remember, you don't want your body to be shouting about the genjutsu. Think subtlety—if that isn't too hard for you."

Sekai made a rude gesture with his finger before doing as bidden.

Eventually, Sasuke managed to get him down to a level that pleased him. Kakashi and Naruto watched close by, not interfering since Sasuke had gotten his idea. Naruto gave Sekai a big hug when he was done (and back to normal).

"You did it!" he cheered happily, pleased at what Sekai had done and that he and Sasuke were getting along so well.

Sekai giggled and hugged him back. "Your support saw me through."

Sasuke let the Sharingan deactivate, and was surprised at how blurry his vision became, as if he had just woken up from deep slumber. He blinked a few times before the blurriness was gone.

Naruto noticed the blinking and the confused expression on Sasuke's face. "Sasuke, you okay?" At the question, his brother looked up as well, a concerned frown across his lips.

"I'm fine," Sasuke answered immediately. Reminded of something Kakashi had told him, he glanced at his teacher and saw the grey-haired Jounin watching him closely.

_Kakashi said Itachi was losing his sight, _Sasuke thought with sudden dread. _But I haven't been able to perform Mangekyou Sharingan yet. _Kakashi had yet to show him his new version, though he had explained it in detail during Sasuke's house arrest upon first returning to Konoha. _I do use the Sharingan a lot though… Fuck, are we all going to go blind? _

His father hadn't had poor eyesight though. Or had he? He hadn't been the type of man to admit weakness—very few in the Uchiha clan had been.

_It's probably just eyestrain, _Sasuke assured himself frantically, hoping he wasn't deluding himself and that it was true. _I haven't slept very well lately because Sai's in the room. _He hadn't had a moment alone since Yume's rescue. Sai slept on the floor in his bedroom. He wasn't used to sharing his living space with other people. It was irritating, but he would endure.

He couldn't help wondering, if he did "sleepover" at Naruto's, if he would have the same reaction.

-

Later, Sekai ended up carrying Yume around on his back. This wasn't too unusual; they had done this a lot growing up and Sekai was rather used to it. (This was, of course, one of the reasons why Sekai had told the ninja that Yume could take care of herself. Yume had the uncanny ability to get people to carry her around. Sekai figured it was because she was small and cute.) He was also a little tired from his training, but Yume was very light and he didn't struggle carrying her.

They got the occasional stares, but most people in the village were becoming used to seeing a cross-dressing boy running around. He supposed most people still did not know his relationship with his brother, but either way it didn't bother Sekai.

His mind was mostly on Sai. Why had he wanted to spend time with Sakura? It had seemed innocent enough, but it left him curious. (And there was the fact that Sakura thought Sai looked like Sasuke to consider. Though Sekai didn't see it—Sai didn't look at all like an evil kitty. Even so, he was a little worried at what this could mean.)

"It's been a while since we've done this," Yume commented brightly, keeping her arms wrapped around the boy's neck. They had been friends most of their lives and had been through so much together, good and bad alike. It was a warmth that would last between them the rest of their lives.

"It has," Sekai agreed, smiling fondly with memories. Then he felt guilty. It had always been the two of them, but since Yume had been rescued, he'd more or less left her in Sakura's care. "Er, sorry I haven't been around lately."

Yume rubbed his thick hair affectionately. "Don't worry. I've had you all to myself for years. It's the least I can do to share you with Naruto—_and Sai_."

Sekai blushed at her knowing tone and ducked his head self-consciously, even though she couldn't see his expression anyway. "Well, as long as you're not mad."

"Why would I be?" she asked mildly. "It's good to see you making friends. So, what's going on between you and Sai?"

"Does anything have to be going on?" asked Sekai nervously.

"No, but the way you two go on, it's really cute. I just thought there was something more to it."

Sekai laughed uneasily. "No way, Yume-chan. You know I only go for older men."

Yume snorted, not believing him for a minute. "So you don't like Sai?"

"Of course I do. As a—"

"The truth, Sekai."

The blond abruptly stopped walking. They had reached a long pathway that led upward toward the higher places of the village. Sekai let the girl off his back and sat beside her on the steps.

"I don't know," he answered softly after a moment, dejectedly staring down at the pavement. "I just met him and all. But he's really sweet, and we get along really well—it's hard not to feel _something_ I guess. Except—you know as well as I do the trouble he has with emotions. He's come a long way since Naruto and Sakura first met him, but… I don't want to force anything on him. I really care about him. I've never had other friends besides you before, Yume-chan, and I don't want to ruin that."

Yume smiled. She had a feeling Sekai was worrying for nothing, but she wouldn't tell him that, for the same reason Sekai wouldn't tell Naruto and Sasuke anything—it was something that needed to be figured out themselves. Hopefully because of her help today that wouldn't take too much longer.

At that moment their conversation was interrupted as three ninja teens (and one large white dog) walked passed. Kiba stopped when he caught sight of them and smiled.

"Hey, you two! What're you doing?"

Yume smiled when she recognized the voice of the boy who'd carried her to the village. "We're just out for a walk, Kiba-san. Are those your teammates with you?"

"Yeah. Hinata, Shino—this is the girl I told you about; and that's Naruto's brother Sekai."

Sekai had already recognized the two with Kiba from Yume's descriptions and he grinned at them. "It's good to finally meet you both." He withheld further conversation with them though, because he was getting a sneaking suspicion about something.

"So… how do you like Konoha?" Kiba asked after a moment, his eyes very clearly on Yume.

Yume seemed able to tell because she answered. "Very well. Sekai-kun and I have been looking forward to coming here for a long time. We haven't been disappointed."

Sekai grinned like a fox and said nothing as the two exchanged more awkward pleasantries. Only when the team had finally left did he speak.

"So…"

"Don't start," Yume cut him off calmly.

"What, you can prod at my love life—or lack thereof—but I can't ask about yours?" Sekai asked archly, amused. "Even you can tell Kiba's getting a crush on you—which is super cute by the way—and you seem to like him too. You can't keep taking care of me for the rest of your life, you know. We're here, so we should focus on trying to build lives here, right?"

Yume nodded. "That's true, I suppose. It's good to see that you're optimistic about our staying here."

"I've made up my mind," Sekai announced in a firm voice. "Naruto and Sasuke need someone to look after them—and I'll do that. Kain knows that separating them would hurt me more than anything, which means he'll target them, so I'll protect them." He smiled up at the waning sky, turning violet as the sun sank in the horizon. "This is where we belong, from yesterday on."

Yume smiled gently and leaned against her best friend's shoulder, happy to hear him sound so encouraging. "Yes." _Naruto's changed you a lot, Sekai. Maybe one day you'll see just how much stronger you already are._ "I'm thirsty. Let's go have some tea."

Sekai sighed and stooped down in front of her so she could climb onto his back again. "As you command, my lady."

Yume snorted, amused, and pulled on a lock of his hair.

"Ow! Yume-chan!"

They were in a teashop a few moments later, which was where Sai and Sakura found them.

"Did you two have fun?" Sakura asked brightly. "I was worried you hadn't been spending much time together," which was only partially a lie, "so I decided to give you some time alone together."

"We had a lot of fun," Yume told her, smiling, "so much so that I'm tired. Let's head home."

"Alright. Good night, boys." Sakura gave Sai's shoulder an encouraging squeeze before taking Yume's hand and directing her toward the exit.

Sekai stared after them, confused. "Why do I get the feeling I've missed something?"

"Well, we weren't being very subtle," Sai admitted, not bothering with the pretense of secrecy now that they were alone. He hadn't seen much need for it in the first place.

Sekai grinned. "I suppose I'll find out what this was about then, right?"

Sai nodded. "I should be taking you home though, before Naruto worries."

"Sure."

-

There was an unspoken agreement between everyone to let Naruto and Sasuke spend their afternoons together since the day before, and undisturbed. There had been fewer arguments between them because of it, so it had to be doing some good.

They were already in the apartment, so after landing on the roof, Sekai leaned over the edge and peaked through the coverless window. Inside, he saw Sasuke sitting on the bed and Naruto in the kitchen, probably fixing dinner. He faintly heard his brother speaking animatedly about something.

Sasuke, feeling someone there, looked over his shoulder at the blond hanging upside down outside. His hair hung down above his head by gravity's pull.

'Whenever you're ready,' Sekai mouthed with a grin, since Sasuke didn't look all that prepared to leave.

Sasuke glared but nodded.

Sekai eased himself back up. "They haven't blown anything up," he told Sai, "so that's gotta be good."

Sai smiled. "Yes, I agree. It's good to see them getting along finally."

Sekai nodded. "It is. We'll get them married yet."

Sai blinked, frowning curiously. "Married?"

"It's not legal for two men to marry here?"

"Actually… I do not know."

Sekai giggled. "Neither do I. I'll look into it later." Kakashi might know. "So, are you gonna tell me what you've been up to, or do I have to pout?" He pouted anyway, just to tease him.

Sai did not understand he was being teased, but the pout made him a little nervous, and he was unsure about this whole idea again. "I was worried about you, because of yesterday," he began.

"Oh, Sai…" Sekai smiled gently and stepped closer, taking the taller boy's hand. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to worry you. Really. I'm okay, so please, don't worry." He was touched, but at the same time, he felt unworthy of his friend's concern.

Sai frowned again. "But isn't it normal to worry about a friend?"

Sekai smiled and looked down. "Yes, it is. It's also normal to not want your friends to worry about you."

"So you pretend nothing is wrong," Sai noted.

Sekai flushed. "Mmm. Yeah." He couldn't deny that was how he was. He just hadn't known that Sai had caught onto it so quickly.

Sai hesitantly squeezed Sekai's hand in return. "It is one of the things I admire about you, Sekai-kun. You have suffered, yet you try to find things to be happy about. But yesterday, when I saw you try to hide your sadness and smile—it hurt here." He pointed to his chest with his free hand.

"Sai…" Sekai breathed, his own heart skipping a beat at those words. He wasn't sure what to say to that, or how to ease Sai's worries.

"I asked Sakura and Yume for advice, which is what led me to buying this." Sai pulled out a small brown bear from his pocket. It had a red bow tied around its neck. Awkwardly, he held it out for Sekai to take.

Sekai reached for it shyly, biting his lip. He was surprised how soft the toy's fur felt and it made him smile. _Yume must have told him to buy me something cute to cheer me up. _It was the least he could do to act a little happy about it, even if he felt he didn't deserve it. "Oh, Sai," he murmured, holding the bear close to his chest. "I love it. Thank you."

Sai swallowed thickly when Sekai let go of his hand only to wrap that arm around his waist. His breath quickened when Sekai pressed close to him in a hug. Then he noticed it—Sekai had just said his name three times in a row without an honorific. "No 'Sai-kun' anymore?" he asked quietly.

Sekai smiled and laughed softly against Sai's shoulder. "I think I'm allowed to speak informally to the man who buys me gifts."

He didn't pull away immediately, so Sai gradually became used to the touch, though this was only their second hug. He hugged the blond back uncomfortably. "Do you really like it… Sekai?" he asked, shyly dropping the honorific as well.

"I do," Sekai assured, pulling back enough to look at the dark-haired boy's face. He smiled at the unsure look there. "It's adorable. Though," he added softly, quickly dropping a kiss on Sai's smooth, pale cheek, "not as much as you are." Inwardly, Sekai flinched at his words, but he couldn't help it—he was a natural flirt and it was habit.

Sai took a startled, quiet breath at the light touch of lips on his skin. He stared at Sekai in wonder, a nameless emotion rising in his chest, blooming into something new and slightly frightening. He couldn't describe it in words.

Mentally kicking himself, Sekai stepped away, holding the bear with both arms. "Sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"Done what?"

Sekai blushed. "Kiss you. I shouldn't have kissed you. Friends don't do things like that," he added, trying to convince himself, not Sai. _Idiot, he's being really kind and then you go and do something really stupid and spoil the whole fucking thing!_ "I'm sorry," he repeated, panic climbing up his throat.

Sai watched him back away. Sekai's shoulders hunched as his head bowed, a classic pose of someone afraid they were about to be hit. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

Sekai blinked and looked back up in surprise. "What? No, you didn't do anything. I did."

Sai shook his head. "I don't understand. You didn't do anything either." Was Sekai worried about the kiss? Sai didn't understand. The kiss had not bothered him. At least, not in a way that Sekai should apologize for.

Those words made Sekai relax a little. "You… didn't mind?" he asked slowly.

After a moment of thinking, Sai shook his head again. "No." Though Sai had the distinct feeling he was going to have to ask Sakura's advice about something else now.

TBC. Will work for reviews!


	9. Bad Friends

Chapter Nine: Bad Friends

Naruto woke up the next morning and the first thing he saw was his big brother sleeping beside him, clutching a small brown bear to his chest, arm lax in sleep. Sekai had told him where the gift had come from and Naruto was glad to know that he and Sai were getting along so well.

The second thing he noticed was that it was raining, hard and fast, droplets pattering against the roof above them, currents of water streaming down the windowpane without any sign of stopping.

It looked like they weren't going to train today.

Sekai stirred and saw the grey skies and pouring rain before pouting sleepily. "Mou! I like rain, but I wanted to see S—everyone," he corrected quickly, blushing. Their parting last night had been incredibly awkward, but Sekai had been hoping to smooth things over today. Now he would have to wait until the rain stopped, and it looked as though that would take a while.

Naruto caught his correction and smiled. "Let's go over to Sasuke's place," he suggested, because he wanted to see his dark-haired friend as well.

"Kitty-chan would sooner kill me than let me cross his doorstep," Sekai complained.

"Well, if you keep calling him weird names like 'Kitty-chan' then he probably will," Naruto pointed out with a laugh. No one else but his brother would dare insult Sasuke like that—besides himself of course.

Sekai clutched his bear to his chest. "I wouldn't if he didn't get so angry," he said with a wink.

Naruto giggled. "Sasuke's right; you _do_ have a death wish."

Sekai stuck his tongue out. "Sasu-chan needs to relax more." He stopped himself from suggesting ways that Naruto could help the Uchiha heir relax.

The younger blond climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He took quicker showers than Sekai so he got to go first. "We'll get dressed, have breakfast and go over, okay?"

Sekai smiled. "Yes, yes." He glanced at his wardrobe and wondered if this was a special enough occasion to wear something a little different…

-

Sasuke glared out the window darkly but it continued raining, undaunted by his substantial ire.

Sai watched him out of the corner of his eye as he washed up the dishes from that morning's breakfast. They never spoke to each other beyond greetings unless the circumstance was dire. Considering, this might be one of those times. "I wonder what the others are doing," he murmured contemplatively.

Sasuke's eyes hardened but he said nothing. Sai wondered if he was thinking of Naruto as much as he was thinking of Sekai.

He wiped the soup suds off his hands. "Sasuke-san, may I ask you a personal question?" he inquired politely.

The other boy spared him a glance. "That depends entirely on what it is."

"How did you know you loved Naruto?" The rain had interrupted his plans to talk to Sakura about it. Under the circumstances talking to Sasuke might be more fruitful however.

Sasuke spun around to face him, eyes widening before a fierce scowl came to his face, an expression he usually reserved for Sekai these days. "How did _you_ know?!"

Sai blinked, not understanding the sudden anger. "I've always known. I thought we discussed this months ago, when you were still with Orochimaru."

"_I want to protect that 'bond' with you that he is trying so hard to mend," _he'd said. Sasuke remembered.

"But… you couldn't have known just from what Naruto told you," Sasuke argued, sure that he had been able to keep his feelings masked back then.

"It was something I felt," Sai explained carefully. "If Naruto felt that strongly about someone, then that someone must feel the same, no matter what evil had embraced them."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "That's stupid. Life doesn't work that way."

"The two of you are different. You can't see that by now?"

Sasuke looked away, back out at the drenched village. He left Sai's question unanswered. "You and that deviant. It's like I have it tattooed to my forehead."

Sai smiled slightly at that. _No. It's because the thing between you and Naruto is so strong, everyone can see it._

The other boy let out a soft exhalation, his breath fogging against the glass. He cleared it away with the long sleeve of his black shirt. "I just knew," he answered Sai's first question quietly. "It wouldn't go away and I tried for so long just to stop feeling, but I couldn't. The feeling's as stubborn as he is."

Sasuke was about to ask why Sai wanted to know when there was a knock at the door. He sighed and went to answer it, only to find two smiling blonds standing on his doorstep. They were also a little damp, though they at least had the foresight to bring umbrellas.

"Yo!" they greeted.

_Scary,_ Sasuke thought. "What are you doing here?"

Sekai put an innocent expression on his face. "Naruto-nii missed you terribly."

Naruto blushed brightly. "Aniki!" he complained, throwing an embarrassed smile Sasuke's way.

"As for me, I'm not here for you, Sasu-chan," Sekai continued airily, breezing through the threshold before Sasuke had a chance to slam the door in his face (which he had been tempted to do, if only Naruto hadn't been standing there as well).

He spotted the other dark haired boy in the large apartment and his face brightened immediately. "Sai!"

Sai smiled, the sight of his friend bringing back the whirlwind of feelings he'd felt last night. Then he noticed something else. "You're wearing a different dress," he noted unnecessarily, studying the blue dress that ended just below Sekai's knees. This one was definitely not for training in. It had a bow along the collar and the skirt was pleated finely.

Sasuke sneered as he closed the door behind Naruto. "It makes you look even more like a girl."

Sekai smiled sharply. "Don't do that with your lip, Kitty, it makes you look unattractive."

"Can you two cut it out?" Naruto complained before Sasuke's anger could fully build. "I just wanted us to spend time together. You know, like normal people."

"We're normal?" Sekai asked Sai, mock seriously.

"I think he means people that don't try to kill each other," Sai told him, smiling at his tone.

"Hmm, well, I suppose I can do that for my darling little brother." Sekai held up his hands in surrender.

Naruto smiled at him, relieved to have that crises averted (hopefully). "Good."

"Your shoes are lovely too," Sai said, drawing a blush from his dress-wearing friend. "They go with the outfit so well."

Sekai glanced self-consciously down at his sandaled feet and matching nail polish on his toes. (1) "Thank you."

"You're both bizarre and disturbed," Sasuke interjected.

"And your point is?" Sekai shot back cheerfully.

Sasuke's eye twitched. "I think they're ugly."

Sai frowned slightly at that. "No, they aren't. He has very nice feet."

"Sasuke, don't be mean," Naruto interjected, feeling as though he was quickly losing control of this situation. "His feet are… umm… nice, I guess?" he added awkwardly, not really knowing or caring, but not wanting to insult his brother regardless.

Sekai giggled lightly. "Thank you too, Naruto-nii."

Sasuke glared, irritated that Naruto had taken Sekai's side once again.

Naruto blushed and looked around the room for some distraction. "Wow, you have a big TV…"

Sasuke shrugged, calming down at Naruto's observation. "I don't use it much."

The blond picked up the remote and turned it on. He was surprised when the channels just kept coming and coming. "Hey, this is a lot." He sat down on the sofa to watch and was surprised by how comfortable it was. "Aniki, come feel how nice this is!"

_The blonds are invading, _Sasuke thought with dread.

Sekai hurried over to sit beside his brother and sank into the plush couch. "Ohh. Sasuke, I wanna have your couch's babies," he quipped, rubbing his cheek against the cushions.

Sasuke suddenly drew out a kunai and Naruto instinctively tackled him to the carpeted floor. The knife slipped out of Sasuke's hand in the fall.

Sasuke stared up at Naruto. He couldn't bring himself to struggle—it was exactly where he wanted the idiot. "I wasn't going to kill him."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

"Pet the kitty, Naruto-nii; they like to be pet," Sekai chortled unhelpfully from the sidelines.

Deciding to play along, since Sasuke didn't seem to be in a hurry to push him off, Naruto gently touched his pale face. Sasuke gasped quietly but didn't object. Naruto rubbed his thumb against the skin and Sasuke closed his eyes against the intrusion.

_He looks so peaceful,_ Naruto thought, grinning. _Almost like he's happy._

Sasuke _was_ happy, until he fully realized what was happening and panicked. _I've got to stop him before I do something we both regret… _"Stop that," he commanded quietly.

Naruto blushed. "Er, sorry," he said, finally setting him loose and standing up.

Sasuke rose slowly, waiting for his body's reaction to Naruto's actions to go away. He kept his face carefully devoid of the hurricane of emotions inside his chest.

_Damn it, so close!_ Sekai thought unhappily before turning to Sai, who had been watching the two boys with interest as well. He shrugged at him helplessly.

Sai smiled slightly, knowing how he felt, and went to sit down beside him on the sofa. When Naruto took up his former spot on the other side of his brother, Sasuke sighed softly and sat next to Naruto.

"Oh look, a horror movie," Sekai noted blandly as he stopped channel surfing.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "I don't like horror movies."

"Oh?"

"They're always about someone being attacked by some sort of monster," Naruto said, feeling lame.

Sekai frowned guiltily. Of course Naruto was likely to see similarities between movie monsters and the Kyuubi. "We don't have to watch it. There's tons of other stuff on…"

"It's okay," Naruto said quickly, not wanting to appear weak, especially with Sasuke there—and he could feel him watching.

Sasuke, though, had seen the connection as well, so he couldn't help himself from pointing out, "Well, vampires aren't necessarily monsters. They typically signify repressed, dark sexual urges."

Naruto couldn't help but giggle at that—he was still an immature sixteen year old after all. "Really?"

"Hmm," Sekai gave Sasuke a keen look, "someone speaks like an expert."

Sasuke shrugged. "Just an observation."

Sekai repressed the urge to ask if he was speaking from personal experience. But just barely. It was almost painful. "Okay, Count Sasuke. What do you think about a male vamp biting down on another guy?"

"Latent homosexual urges hidden behind the smokescreen of heterosexual affairs," Sasuke answered immediately. "Men, women—it doesn't matter. The action of biting is symbolic for sex regardless."

"So what does that say about Orochimaru's curse?" Sai asked, motioning to the burn mark on his neck.

Sasuke glowered at the screen. "That he was a pervert."

Naruto made a face. "You mean he…"

"Yeah. I was constantly beating him off. Especially after he gave me Kusanagi—apparently he found it even more phallic."

"Ew…" Naruto felt bile rising in his throat, and anger that the bastard had dared try to touch _his_ Sasuke.

That was when Naruto finally came to the conclusion that he was definitely interested in Sasuke as more than a friend. The revelation left him quiet for a few moments.

"Kabuto hated it," Sasuke went on, still speaking frankly about his experience. "Orochimaru apparently stopped sleeping with him as often after I came."

"I knew it!" Sekai cried.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Well, they never went out of their way to hide it. Kabuto tried to get back at me with stupid things—reminding Orochimaru when it was my birthday, getting the other Sound ninjas to try to kill me; stupid things."

"Well, people do crazy things when they're in love," Sekai remarked idly. "Some go for flowers and candy—others for attempted murder." He sent a wink Sasuke's way.

Sasuke glared murderously. "One day I'm going to kill you, you know that, right?" (2)

Sekai beamed blissfully. "Really?" he said, leaning conveniently against Naruto, putting his chin on the younger boy's shoulder.

Sasuke caught his point and growled.

Sai laughed softly. "You know, you're the one that seems like a cat now, Sekai."

The blond beamed at him and shifted to lean against his shoulder playfully. "You think so?"

"I… I want to pet you now for some reason," Sai said bluntly, gazing back into mischievous blue eyes.

"Really?" Sekai responded breathily, his heart skipping a beat and ignoring the part of his brain which told him flirting was unwise. "Well, I'm not stopping you…"

Naruto watched them with wide eyes, blushing. "The mood's become very adult," he murmured to Sasuke.

Sekai and Sai both blushed, remembering that they weren't exactly alone.

Sasuke surprised them by laughing as the mood was broken. _Finally, the deviant's embarrassed…_

Naruto grinned widely—because he'd never heard Sasuke laugh like that before and he quite liked the sound of it. Not to mention how much more beautiful Sasuke looked smiling…

Sasuke caught his grin and looked away, biting his lip until his smile faded.

"Don't," Naruto objected without thinking. "You have a great smile. You should do it more often."

Sasuke flushed lightly and stared at him in wonder, not knowing what Naruto meant by that.

"… and smirks don't count!" Naruto added, feeling nervous since Sasuke wasn't saying anything, so he just kept talking. "I mean real smiles! I… I hate it when your face is all blank. I feel like… you don't want to be here… and I… I want you to be here, with me…"

"Naruto…" Sasuke couldn't believe he was hearing this. He tried to remind himself that it was all perfectly innocent. "If I didn't want to be here, I would leave."

"I know that! But… But… I just… I don't want to lose you again… I just want you to be happy…"

Sasuke sighed quietly, remembering that Sakura had once said something along those words to him as well. It left him feeling as empty as it did back then. "You can't _make_ me happy, Naruto. It's not something that's forced."

Naruto looked down at his lap sourly. "I know that too. I just…"

Deciding to take pity on him, Sasuke said, "I appreciate you feeling that way. I told you before not to worry about it. I only left so I could get stronger. Now I just need to kill Itachi then it'll be over."

"Then what will you do?" Naruto asked sharply.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you plan to do anything after that?"

Sasuke sighed again. The thing he wanted after that he couldn't have. "I'll come back here of course. Don't worry so much, total idiot."

"So you're planning to live afterwards?" Naruto prodded desperately.

"If I can."

"No! No, you have to promise me." Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hands tightly. "You have to promise you'll come back!"

Sasuke looked into those earnest blue eyes that were his greatest, most terrible weakness and knew that if Naruto _were_ to become his lover, he would never be able to deny the blond anything. This was one thing he would give him though. Slowly, he nodded. "I promise."

Excited, Naruto cheered and hugged him tightly. "It's the promise of a lifetime!" he announced.

Sasuke had heard the story of that line from Sakura. He nodded again and relaxed against Naruto's warmth. "Yeah."

Over Naruto's shoulder he noticed Sekai smiling and looking as though he wanted to cry. The older boy mouthed words of encouragement which Sasuke ignored.

Why did Sekai want them to get together? Sasuke didn't understand.

Sekai seemed to understand his confusion though. He read his lips saying silently, 'I want you two to be happy. I know you'll be happiest together.'

Sasuke rolled his eyes. It figured that Sekai had a sappy reasoning for it. He and Naruto were too alike sometimes.

Still smiling, Sekai leaned back against Sai and watched the two embracing. The atmosphere in the room was so peaceful. It was interrupted when a scream emitted from the television.

Naruto jumped at the sound, looking at the screen. "That's gross," he noted, not pulling away from Sasuke completely.

"I've seen worse," Sasuke and Sekai both said. Sekai grinned and Sasuke glared.

Naruto frowned, knowing that they meant in real life. He grabbed one of Sekai's hands and put his arm around Sasuke's waist as if to protect them both.

Sekai giggled and kissed his brother's cheek, because he was being cute again. The four of them stayed like that for a while watching the movie. The rain outside continued to pour down relentlessly.

"Too bad we have these restrictions," Sekai said, pouting lightly. "When it rains I like to get naked and run around outside."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're really random."

Sekai winked. "One does one's best."

"Be my guest. I hope you get pneumonia."

"Sasu-kitty's so mean…"

Sai glanced outside thoughtfully. "If it was a summer rain it might be better. It's too cold to do that now however. Otherwise, I would go out with you."

"Would you get naked too?" Sekai asked flirtatiously.

Sai found himself blushing. "If… you wanted me to," he answered honestly.

Sekai twined the fingers of his free hand with one of Sai's. "Hmm. Well, it'd be embarrassing to do that alone here; and you have a nice body too, so it's a bonus!"

"Yeah, and both of you can get arrested for streaking," Sasuke said.

"I've gone skinny dipping," Naruto announced unhelpfully.

"Oh my god, we should so do that!" Sekai cried eagerly.

"No," Sasuke snapped.

"Why not? You'll be coming too, so it's not like you'd miss anything…"

"That's what I'm worried about."

"Sasuke-kun never lets us have any fun! Mou!"

"Are you really sure you're eighteen?"

"Are you really sure you have hormones?"

"Of course I do. I just don't need to wave it around in people's faces constantly."

Sekai pouted. "You have your way of catching fish and I have mine."

Sasuke smirked, knowing he'd gotten him with that one. "Whatever."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Sai, did Aniki tell you about the sleepover idea I had?"

Sai wondered why this question made Sasuke blush. "No, he hasn't."

"Oh!" Sekai smiled at him cheerfully. "See, Naruto and Sasuke wanna have a sleepover, so that means you and I would have to room together. Is that okay?"

Sai nodded readily. "It is. I haven't been to my apartment in a few days." He had laundry to do and an unfinished painting on his easel. Also, he wouldn't mind spending time alone with Sekai. It would give them a chance to talk about things, hopefully.

"Great! How's today for everyone?"

"Good," Naruto said.

"It's fine with me," Sai said.

They looked at Sasuke, who had been abnormally quiet through the exchange.

There were many reasons why Sasuke didn't want to spend the night with Naruto. There were even more reasons why he _did_ want to.

He'd already promised Naruto though, and he couldn't go back on his word now, even if it was something silly and unnecessary.

Nothing would happen anyway.

TBC. Feed the author!

1. What? The Akatsuki do it.

2. Poor Sasuke. He's Sanzo, Sekai is Gojyo, Sai is Hakkai, and Naruto is Goku. XD He needs a paper fan and a gun!


	10. Nothing to Hide

Chapter Ten: Nothing to Hide

_Lying beside you here in the dark_

_Feeling your heart beat with mine_

_Softly you whisper, you're so sincere_

_How could our love be so blind? _

_We sailed on together_

_We drifted apart_

_And here you are by my side _

- Open Arms by Journey

* * *

Once they had organized their plans for the two separate sleepovers—and it did seem immature to call it that, which was probably why Sekai and Naruto insisted on using the term—the Uzumaki brothers returned to their small apartment to gather things they would need. It was in the late afternoon when they returned and after spending so long in their company Sasuke was glad when Sekai and Sai left for the ANBU's apartment.

"Want something to eat?" he asked his remaining guest, since it was close enough to dinner for him and they had skipped lunch.

Naruto was walking around the apartment, looking at things he hadn't noticed before with the distraction of the television and his brother. "Sure."

Curiously, he poked his head into the next room and saw it was Sasuke's bedroom. On one side were the bathroom and a bed. The wall of the other side was made of glass—the entrance to the patio just outside. It had a shade that looked to have kept most of it out of the rain, but Naruto had been outside twice and was not too eager to make it a third. Then he caught sight of the dresser and the familiar picture sitting atop it.

All four members of Team Seven had this picture. Naruto walked closer to it, smiling warmly at the memories it brought back. He and Sasuke were glaring at each other, as was usual back then. Naruto wondered if things hadn't been simpler back then.

_We look so young,_ he thought, laughing at little. _We really need to take a new picture. _One with the whole group, including Sai, Sekai, and Yume. _That'd be nice…_

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a cup of steaming ramen placed in front of his face, complete with a pair of chopsticks sitting inside.

"Here," Sasuke said unceremoniously. "I didn't know what else to fix you, so…"

Naruto smiled and took the offered food. "Thanks, Sasuke!"

For himself, Sasuke had gotten an apple. He didn't like cooking and would get out of it if he could avoid it. Thankfully, Naruto was pretty easy to please.

They ate and stared at the picture for a few quiet minutes interrupted only occasionally by slurping and crunching.

Naruto finished the noodles quickly and drank back the warm flavored juice in a more leisurely pace. "Do you think things were less complicated back then?" he asked at length.

Sasuke tilted his head to the side thoughtfully while gazing intently at his younger self's disgruntled expression. "In some things I guess. But I think at this moment, this is the least complicated we've ever been."

Naruto smiled at that. "Yeah, I guess so." He emptied his cup and took the remains of the apple from his friend's hand helpfully.

Sasuke glanced at him and saw a piece of kamaboko sticking to Naruto's cheek that the blond hadn't seemed to notice. Without thinking, he picked the swirled food stuff off and popped it into his mouth.

Naruto blushed and smiled sheepishly, wiping his cheek. "Thanks."

Grunting in acknowledgement, Sasuke turned away to hide his own slight blush. In his mind a voice jeered, '_So you like to eat the naruto pieces first?'_ It sounded suspiciously like Orochimaru and Sekai combined.

Just then there was a knock at the door and he used the distraction in order to get his face to return to its normal pallor. He was surprised when he opened the door to find their sensei there.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted with a casual wave. He glanced over Sasuke's shoulder to see Naruto in the kitchen. "Oh good, Naruto's here. I went by his apartment and didn't see anyone there, so…"

Sasuke grunted. "He's staying here tonight. The deviant's with Sai."

The Jounin eyed him during a suspicious pause. "Any reason why?"

Sasuke eyed him right back, immediately going on the defensive. "No."

Kakashi didn't look like he believed him.

Naruto came up behind him. "Hi, Kakashi-sensei! What are you doing here by yourself? You're supposed to be with someone!"

"I am," the older ninja declared, moving to the side so they could see the man standing a few feet down the hallway, waiting for Kakashi to get done.

"Yamato-taichou!" Naruto yelled in greeting. Though he hadn't seen the man in a while, he was still fond of him since the time he'd briefly replaced Kakashi.

"Hey, Naruto." Yamato smiled and grabbed Kakashi to steer him away from the door, since the Jounin didn't look in a hurry to leave. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. "Come on, sempai, let's leave the kids alone…"

Kakashi followed grudgingly, eyeing the door that Sasuke all too eagerly closed after them. "Yeah."

"Don't worry too much about it," Yamato said, noticing his friend's hesitance. "Everyone has to grow up sometime."

"I suppose," Kakashi murmured. "It just sort of snuck up on me though."

"Kind of hard to believe you're pushing thirty, huh?" Yamato chuckled.

"Shut up."

-

Sai stepped aside to let Sekai enter the apartment after him. They'd had to share Sekai's umbrella, so they were both a bit wet.

"I'll get you a towel," Sai offered as he noticed Sekai's skirt dripping on the floor. He'd squeezed it out before walking inside but it hadn't seemed to help.

Sekai murmured vague thanks, his eyes already on Sai's apartment, matching up what he saw to the memory of Yume's descriptions. It was all very neat—even the easel that had a tarp placed underneath it had painting tools laid out around it very tidily. Then his eyes were drawn to the pictures on the wall. He walked over to them, carefully studying them until he found the one he was looking for—the first one that had been titled. Unlike many of the others, it actually had people on the canvas—Sai running to join Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato underneath a tree.

Sekai smiled at this warmly, remembering the day Yume had told him about this. They had been having a tremulous time because of what they knew was happening to Naruto and the others, finally meeting Sasuke again only to have him acting so cold and malicious. Sekai had wanted to leave prematurely in order to help. He'd been worrying himself sick over what would become of Naruto and Sasuke. In the end, Yume had managed to talk him out of it, reminding him that he wasn't ready and there wouldn't be anything they could do. They would end up bringing a third enemy into Naruto's life, combined with Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. Thankfully things had turned out for the best, but at the time Sekai had been terrified for his little brother.

Hearing about Sai's changes had heartened him slightly, since Sai had sworn to protect Naruto and Sasuke's bond. It had made the whole thing more bearable.

"Here," Sai said as he walked out of the bathroom, a white towel in his hand. He'd already rubbed off and changed.

"Thanks." Sekai began rubbing his hair, stepping back from the painting to avoid splashing it. "You're really talented, you know." He hadn't seen any of Sai's drawings before today. He'd been meaning to ask if he could.

Sai smiled cheerfully at the compliment. "Thank you."

"I was really happy when you did this one," Sekai added, motioning to _Friends_. "I heard how much you were changing because of Naruto-nii and I was really happy for you."

"It… seems surreal sometimes," Sai admitted slowly, as he thought about how much he had changed this year. "For longer than I can remember I was being trained for a specific purpose—to be Root. 'In Root, you have no name, no emotions, no past, and no future. There is only the mission.' That was what I believed, until I met Naruto. Now I live my own way, but I still feel very awkward sometimes."

Sekai smiled kindly. "I think you're doing great. Humans are meant to feel emotions. What Danzou did to all of you—it was wrong."

"It was to protect Konoha."

"The ends do not always justify the means." His blue eyes suddenly turned cold and distant. "I hope I never meet him. I'll do something I'd regret." Just as quickly his expression brightened again. "Ack! Oh no! I'm dripping all over your floor! I'd better go change." That said Sekai raced to the bathroom with his change of clothes in hand.

Sai stared after him, not sure how to dissemble Sekai's actions this time. The swift change back to cheerfulness was to cover up anger. Sekai was obviously upset over something he perceived Danzou to have done—to _him_. So Sekai was feeling protective of him perhaps? That seemed likely.

He didn't think Sekai would do good on his threat though. Sekai was a kind person and he didn't give often into anger. Maybe, like Sasuke seemed to be these days, Sekai saw his anger as something that mustn't be given into without caution.

-

Night settled over Konoha and the rain finally slowed to a light drizzle before it stopped completely. It left the night air cool and damp. Sasuke opened the patio door in order to let it in, only to eventually close it when he noticed Naruto shivering.

Naruto flushed in embarrassment, that old feeling returning from when they were young, of not wanting to look weak in front of his rival. "I wasn't cold!" he yelled, despite the fact that he had the blanket tucked up to his chin.

Sasuke smirked, evident even in the dark by his voice. "Sure," he teased as he climbed back into bed.

"I wasn't!"

"So why are you trying to cocoon yourself? Butterflies are out of season."

Naruto quickly pushed the blanket down and arranged it more normally. "There. Happy now?"

"Ecstatic."

Naruto stared up at the ceiling, studying the dark shadows and cracks in the plaster. "Hey, hey. Are you sure you don't mind me being here?"

"Sai took his sleeping bag with him and you neglected to bring yours," Sasuke pointed out, unable to avoid mentioning that he had one stowed in a closet somewhere. He hadn't used it since he was thirteen though, so he probably needed to buy a replacement. Still, he wouldn't deny his ulterior motive, in his private thoughts. "If you want to sleep on the floor I'll get you a blanket, but you know we're not supposed to be in separate rooms. Otherwise you could have the couch."

"No, I don't want to sleep on the floor," Naruto said quickly. Far from it. He felt quite comfortable sleeping with Sasuke so nearby. "Just wondering if you minded," he added, his voice giving away how much he'd rather not be kicked out of Sasuke's bed.

"I don't," Sasuke responded shortly, voice not giving away how much he wanted Naruto to stay.

"You sure?"

"Yes, now go to sleep before I suffocate you with a pillow."

"Okay, okay. Sheesh." Naruto shifted again, turning to face toward his friend and closing his eyes. He didn't think he would fall asleep as quickly as he did.

Sasuke had no such luck. Naruto's light snores weren't irritating, but they did serve to constantly remind him that the blond was right _there_, as did his warmth that spread across the mattress.

Twisting around slowly he turned to face his slumbering teammate. It wasn't as though they'd never slept together. But, like with seeing Naruto naked, that had been when they were twelve, and it had meant sometime else back then. (And sleeping in the same room with separate sleeping bags was different than sharing a bed.) Sasuke couldn't get his mind or body to relax. This wouldn't lead to anything, he knew that, but his body didn't seem to. He pondered momentarily going outside on the porch and performing some exercises, maybe practice with his katana, since he hadn't actually done anything that day. Perhaps if he worked his body to exhaustion he could surpass this restlessness.

He gave it up after realizing this would mean leaving the bed, which was comfortably warm now. He knew it wasn't just the bed, since it had never seemed that way before.

Studying Naruto's face in the dimness, he noted all the changes to his features. His cheeks weren't so round anymore, having lost most of his baby fat, and he was becoming attractive in a plain sort of way. Naruto's attributes weren't just his looks but rather in his personality, which was as strong and vibrant as it had been the first day they'd met.

His hair looked a little longer, though it was hard to tell with his forehead protector on. Currently both of their headbands were lying side by side, as their owners were, on the dresser—one unmarred, the other with a scratch over the leaf.

Naruto had given his back when he'd returned to Konoha.

-

_His solitary confinement was spent for the most part in the apartment he had occupied before leaving. It was much the same as it had been. Kakashi had had to bring him some extra clothes—the ones he'd worn while with Orochimaru were torn and stained with his own blood. He'd asked Kakashi to burn them. _

_Mostly it was Kakashi who came to see him. They would talk about things that had happened or techniques they'd learned. It was almost as if their silent understanding was still there, except now it carried undercurrents of curiosity and doubt. Sasuke tried to pretend this did not bother him. _

"_Did you plan to come back?" Kakashi eventually asked, his tone not changing and his eyes not looking up from his little pornographic novel._

"_No," Sasuke said honestly._

"_Then why did you?"_

_Sasuke had looked away from him, out the window. "You've tried arguing with Naruto before, haven't you?" was all he said._

_Sakura came often at first, talking excitedly about things she had done in his absence. The visits became infrequent when she started to run out of things to tell him, ways to get through his cold exterior. Sasuke apologized for knocking her unconscious the night he'd left, but other than that, he felt awkward around her. He knew what she wanted and did not know, at that time, how to tell her it was something he couldn't give her. Mostly he had pressed her to tell him things about Naruto._

"_Naruto promised me he'd bring you home," Sakura said one time, after telling Sasuke the story of how they'd met Sai. Most likely she had thought it would amuse him. It hadn't really. _

"_I know."_

"_I waited for you." That was her way of letting him know there was no one else in her life she held dear. "I'm really glad you're back, Sasuke-kun. All of us are."_

_Sasuke sighed quietly. "Is Naruto?" _

_This made her confused. "You keep asking about him."_

"_I'm curious."_

"_It's more than that though, isn't it?"_

_Sasuke hadn't answered that, because she was right._

_He had seen Naruto last at the hospital. The blond had taken longer to recover than he had. After then it was like he was avoiding him. One day, though, he saw Naruto on his doorstep, standing behind Kakashi as though trying to hide._

"_Come on, Naruto," Kakashi urged, "don't be shy."_

"_I'm not shy!" Naruto argued self-righteously. To prove this wasn't the case, he rushed forward and thrust an object into Sasuke's face. "Here."_

_Sasuke took it and carefully unwrapped the cloth covering his forehead protector. He gazed at the scratch across the front, the scratch that Naruto himself had put there, blankly. "You kept it." _

"_Of course I did!" Naruto said, finally smiling a little. "I told you, I'd bring you back no matter what."_

_Sasuke kept gazing at the headband he'd abandoned years ago. He remembered the day at the Valley of the End sharply even now years after the fact. He wouldn't apologize for it, but he wished it had ended differently. If only Naruto could have understood, if only they had both been less foolish… If only Orochimaru had never wanted his body…_

"_Naruto."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Next time, don't lose to prove your point." He tapped against the scratched forehead protector explanatorily. _

_Naruto blinked, confused, before slowly smirking. "Next time I'll kick your ass for sure," he promised._

_Sasuke smirked back before putting the forehead protector on. Naruto's smile brightened in response._

-

He hadn't replaced it for a newer, unmarked one. It was a lesson. So he would never forget what he had sacrificed and what mistakes he had made—and how foolish he had been. Staying with the Sound had left him with a lot of time to his thoughts, a lot more than he would have liked at first. Orochimaru liked to go long stretches without training him, and when he wasn't training, Sasuke couldn't help but go off alone somewhere dark and quiet to let his mind wander in the past. He had tried not to remember Naruto so much. Instead he tried to focus on the memories of his family, harnessing his hatred for Itachi.

He had tried to forget Naruto. He had tried. But memories came to him unbidden regardless: the day they had met Kakashi and learned about teamwork, the first time he'd told Naruto he looked forward to fighting him, training with Naruto in the Wave Country, jumping between Naruto and Haku after finally activating his Sharingan for the first time—to _save_ Naruto, Naruto jumping between him and Orochimaru's snake, and most of all he remembered the Valley of the End.

Almost a year later exactly was when Kabuto had let it slip to Orochimaru that it was his birthday. It had been to get back at him, though now Sasuke had no idea what for. Probably something Kabuto saw as an offense on his part. It had led to Orochimaru actually getting him a cake, saying morbidly that it was one of the last birthdays Sasuke would have so he should celebrate it. It had amused the bastard endlessly. Sasuke had known it was all a part of Orochimaru's "get inside of Sasuke before getting _inside_ of Sasuke" plan. Sasuke had wanted nothing to do with it.

Eventually the old pervert had commented teasingly on how "tight and virginal" he was, betting he hadn't even been kissed yet.

Kabuto, wanting to embarrass him, had said, "Naruto beat you to that," all too cheerfully.

Orochimaru had naturally found this incredibly amusing and had prodded for details, thinking it had been some sordid interlude between two little boys, when really it had been an infantile accident.

Sasuke had called them both idiots but hadn't tried to correct Kabuto's statement.

That was the day Sasuke had started thinking about Naruto in the context of kissing, and why he couldn't get the blond out of his mind. That little reminder of the kiss became a loud exclamation in his mind soon after, and Sasuke was forced for the first time to admit things that he'd been trying so hard to deny to himself.

Once he did that, it had come easily, so naturally, and for once with something concerning Naruto he knew _why_.

And he'd known it was something he could never tell anyone. Especially the blond in question.

The kiss itself he barely remembered now. He couldn't remember what Naruto's lips felt like against his or how warm his breath had been against his face.

He wanted to remember.

He was creeping closer to Naruto before he even fully realized it. When he did he paused, his face hovering over Naruto's.

_You can't do this! What if he wakes up?! What will you do then?!_

Sasuke studied the other boy, but Naruto appeared to be in deep slumber, his breathing patterns having not changed, still slow and shallow.

_He won't wake up. He still sleeps like the dead…_

Just one kiss, he warned himself. Just one little touch to tide his curiosity over…

But as soon as his lips touched Naruto's, he couldn't bring himself to draw away from them immediately. His heart crawled up his throat and he wanted so much to kiss Naruto hard enough to wake him, to press their bodies closer, to let his hands roam over the blond's muscular frame…

Slowly he forced himself to pull away, his willpower and pride unable to let him do what he desired. He knew he'd already pushed his luck too far.

He opened his eyes and it took Sasuke a second too long to realize Naruto's were open as well.

Naruto smiled. "Who's the deviant now… kissing people in their sleep?"

The Uchiha reacted to the first instinct that came to mind. With no thought whatsoever to his pride, he tried to run.

Naruto's reaction was quicker. Even with his body tangled in sheets he managed to grab hold of Sasuke, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist so he couldn't even set foot off the bed. "Wait!" he cried.

Sasuke froze. _I went too far, I went too far, now he's going to hate me forever…I've lost it all…_

Naruto could tell he was afraid. Running was a big tip off. He kept his grip on him tight. "Don't tell me we're gonna wait another four years before trying that again, you jerk."

Sasuke didn't even puzzle over his words. "Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not!" Naruto cried against his back. "Just… Just don't run away from me again, okay? Especially not because of this." He wasn't sure what he was doing, or what he was going to do, and he could admit to himself he was a little afraid too.

Sasuke noticed he didn't seem surprised. He assumed it was for the wrong reason. "That bastard deviant told you."

"Aniki? He didn't tell me anything! Not about this anyway. The only thing he told me was that we needed to talk."

"Then… How did you know?" Sasuke asked slowly, confused now.

"I didn't. Not until you kissed me."

"Then…"

Naruto laughed softly. "You total idiot," he said, kissing the back of Sasuke's neck. "I… feel the same. I guess. Not that you've actually told me how you feel yet. Which you should because I'm not putting out until you do," he added hurriedly, blushing.

His body immediately relaxed at the kiss, though it was mostly from shock. "Naruto…" Slowly he turned around to face the blond, the grip on his waist loosening to make this possible. He stared at him in the pale light in wonder. "You…"

Naruto smiled in amusement. "Usually I'm the one that can't form coherent sentences."

"Well," Sasuke began in anger, which quickly extinguished itself when he couldn't finish the thought. "Well… I'm surprised," he said lamely.

"Well so was I," Naruto pointed out with a grin. "Here I was, thinking that what I was starting to feel for you was weird and perverted—and definitely not reciprocated—then you go and blow that out of the water. You really like to spring shit on me, don't you? From now on, I want some warning."

"What you… feel for me?"

Naruto blushed. "Well… I guess I love you." He had made his decision. He was no longer confused. Today had given him the certainty he needed—if the thought of Sasuke being with someone else made him angry, possessive even, then it could only mean he wanted to be with him. Suddenly, it was all so simple.

This time, Sasuke took that statement seriously. He leaned forward and kissed Naruto again in response, breath quickening when he was kissed back. Reaching up, he cupped the sides of Naruto's face, thumbs stroking lightly over the whisker-like marks he knew were there. Inside, he felt like he was soaring.

Naruto made a soft noise and gripped Sasuke again by the waist, allowing himself to be pushed back onto the mattress. When Sasuke moved on top of him though he pushed him back a little. "Wait, wait," he said breathlessly. "You still have to tell me how you feel…"

Sasuke smirked, still feeling exhilarated from the kissing and the knowledge of how Naruto felt. "You can't tell?"

Naruto ducked his head guiltily. "No… You're the most confusing asshole on the planet, Sasuke!"

Taking pity on him, Sasuke leaned down to whisper in his ear, as if afraid to be overheard, before sucking on his earlobe experimentally.

Naruto giggled in reaction and tried to squirm away from the tongue tasting his ear. It was nice just to hear Sasuke say it and his tightened his arms around him. "That tickles…"

"Humph. It was supposed to feel nice…"

Naruto grinned. If it was anyone other than Sasuke, he would have said he was pouting. "Well, I can think of a few other things for you to suck if you want," he pointed out brightly around a blush.

Sasuke smirked and chuckled. "So can I." He kissed a path softly back to Naruto's lips, still only using gentle pressure.

Naruto's breath caught in his throat whenever he got a good look at Sasuke's face. His expression was alit with feeling—mainly excitement and lust—but his eyes had softened, instead of being cold and deadened. Occasionally around his smirks he caught him smiling for real.

"One second," Sasuke said, pulling away briefly. "Let me turn on a lamp…"

"Why?" Naruto blinked up at him as Sasuke leaned over to the small bedside table and switched the lamp on. It cast the room in an orange glow.

Sasuke moved back to his former position, leaning over the blond. "I want to see you."

Naruto blushed, and the crimson deepened due to Sasuke eyes fixed on his cheeks. He expected the Uchiha to make some snide remark, but instead he just smirked and resumed his passionate kiss against Naruto's soft, eager lips. Naruto mewed happily and kissed back, opening his mouth in blatant invitation. Sasuke took the hint and slipped his tongue between the blond's lips. Naruto tried not to laugh.

Sasuke pulled back again. "What?"

"It feels weird," Naruto said.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched a little. Naruto smiled and lifted himself up to press their lips back together. Awkwardly their tongues tangled again, both growing more bold and sure of themselves as they continued.

**(This chapter has been edited due to the rules and regulations of this site. A link to the unedited version is available in the writer's profile.)**

Slowly, Naruto lifted up his head and smiled shyly at the dark haired boy. "That… That was great." Though it was new and slightly frightening, Naruto now had a sense of certainty—it was as if all this time, this was what they had been really moving toward. This was how things were supposed to be.

"Yeah," agreed Sasuke, smiling back a little. He still felt a little shell-shocked, as if this wasn't really happening. Maybe it would seem more real in the morning.

Naruto leaned forward and they shared a gentle kiss before the blond began nuzzling his face. Sasuke chuckled and rubbed back with just as much affection.

"We should clean up," he noted.

"Mmph," was Naruto's unenthusiastic reply. He sat up to pull off his boxers and used them to wipe himself and Sasuke off before throwing them to the floor. He leaned back against the pillows with a self-satisfied sigh.

Sasuke made a face. "You'll regret it in fifteen minutes when you're all stiff instead of just sticky." He rose on surprisingly shaky legs and headed for the bathroom. He'd never admit it, but he felt as though he could barely stand. "Naruto?" he called as he wiped himself off with a wet cloth. As he walked back into the bedroom he found out why Naruto had not responded to him.

He was fast asleep, snoring and drooling against a pillow.

Sasuke smiled a little at the sight of Naruto lying in his bed then turned out the light before climbing in beside the blond. He shifted close to him so that they were lying right beside each other, sharing their warmth. "Good night, Naruto."

TBC.


	11. Fire and Wind

Chapter Eleven: Fire and Wind

The next morning, Sekai was woken up by the morning sun blinding his eyes. This displeased him greatly since he had been sleeping so well. He tried rolling over to get closer to the other body in the bed, only to feel it was gone. Murmuring complaint, he opened his eyes to locate his friend.

They had spent the night talking about anything and everything under the sun, either about themselves or the world in general, before going to bed—sharing, not that Sekai could say he minded all that much.

_Maybe I should take my own advice, _he thought, remembering his words to both Yume and Sasuke about their love lives. Still, putting such confidence into practice was harder than it sounded.

_Or maybe Sasuke's right and I should just mind my own business, huh? _

But wouldn't that be running away? If there was one thing he had learned from Naruto's adventures it was that running wasn't the answer. Still…

Sai was working at the easel he had set up in his bedroom. He glanced in Sekai's direction when he began to rise. "Good morning."

"'Morning," the blond greeted around a yawn. He threw back the covers and stood, walking with bare feet on the cold floor toward Sai. He stopped just short of the easel. "May I see?"

Sai hesitated. He had never done this before and, as sure as he was that he wished to proceed, he still had no idea how Sekai would react and it was a little frightening. Though he wasn't sure _why_ it was frightening; it just was.

Sekai took the silence the wrong way. "I don't have to," he added with a nervous smile. "It's okay."

"No," Sai said immediately. "Please, look."

Pleased, Sekai walked around him and gasped softly in surprise at what he saw. It was him. Sai had painted him lying in bed, blanket pulled up to his chest, one hand curled next to his cheek, his form bathed in golden sunlight.

"I look beautiful," was all he could think, so he said so out loud. "Is… Is that how you see me?"

Sai kept his eyes on the painting. "Yes."

Touched beyond words could describe, Sekai felt his throat tightening but he swallowed back the tears. Instead he wrapped his arms Sai's neck and hugged him tightly. "Thank you."

Relieved, Sai smiled. "I don't think this is something you need to thank me for."

Sekai pulled away to look at his face. "No, I do." Blushing, he leaned down to kiss Sai's lips gently, his heart climbing up into his throat in excitement. "Thank you. No one's ever thought that about me before."

Sai shook his head. "I'm sure they did, it's just you didn't notice."

Sekai laughed a little. "Flatterer."

"I was just speaking the truth…"

Sekai giggled. "I know." He brushed his thumb against Sai's pale cheek gently, amazed at his luck. _He's really too sweet for someone like me._

Sai closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. That had gone more smoothly than he'd anticipated.

-

Sasuke woke when Naruto turned again in his sleep, this time to face him. He opened his eyes blurrily to see the way the faint morning sunshine shown on the blond's whiskered face.

The Uchiha felt warm all over. Not just in body but his soul as well. Something in him that Itachi had killed and mutilated along with their parents, that which Naruto had been trying for three years to bring back to life, was fully awoken. Did the night before really happen? Or was _this_ reality and the previous days of his life a cruel dream?

Sasuke snorted as he woke more fully. _I let the idiot touch my cock once and I turn pseudo-philosophical?_

Naruto opened his eyes at the noise, his blue orbs looking particularly bright and glassy. He smiled at him and Sasuke felt this was one of the few times he was glad to be alive and not the "dream container" for an evil, megalomaniacal pervert. He smiled back.

"Good morning," Naruto broke the silence, his throat croaking from sleep.

"It is," Sasuke agreed, kissing Naruto shortly before rising. There were things they had to do today. The skies outside looked bright and clear, no sign of the previous day's rain at all. A part of him was disappointed.

Naruto seemed to agree with that sentiment. "Gaah, I don't want to get up," he complained, his voice following Sasuke into the bathroom.

Sasuke lifted up the toilet seat and relieved himself. "Blame your beloved big brother. It's his training we have to supervise."

"He's improving though," Naruto pointed out brightly.

Sasuke grunted, knowing it was true but not wanting to admit it because it was _the deviant_ and he was partially responsible for some of the improvement.

Crossing to the sink to wash his hands he caught sight of his appearance in the mirror. Then he did a double take and looked again. On one side was the very familiar burn left from the curse mark. On the other was a red spot. Sasuke turned on the bathroom light and craned his neck to get a better look. It looked like a scratch, but it wasn't bleeding and it didn't hurt.

Then he remembered where Naruto's mouth had been the night before.

For some reason, having the mark in such an obvious place (that he wouldn't even be able to hide), didn't make him angry. It amused him. Smirking, he walked back out into the bedroom.

"Hey, idiot, look at what you did," Sasuke said, crawling back onto the bed. Naruto was reclining against the pillows with his hands behind his head and Sasuke craned his neck, pointed at the spot for emphasis.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh crap, how did that happen?!" He touched the spot gingerly.

Sasuke snorted. "You are how it happened, total idiot. It's a hickey."

"I did?" Guilt etched on his far too open features. "Damn, I'm sorry, Sasuke. I didn't know I was biting _that_ hard."

Sasuke sighed and smiled to show he wasn't angry. "I'm not mad at you, Naruto. I'm amused by it more than anything."

Naruto pouted. "Still…"

"Don't worry about it." He pushed Naruto back onto the mattress, climbing on top of him, pressing their hips together. He kissed the pout gently to reassure him.

Naruto moaned and thrust his hips upward, pushing the blanket out from between them.

As the kissing grew more heated and invigorated, Sasuke dimly remembered that they had to get up to meet Kakashi and the others.

**(This chapter has also been edited. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. It would be a bigger inconvenience to me if the fic was deleted off this site.)**

They were both smiling bashfully when they pulled apart.

"We're gonna be late, huh?" Naruto asked, glancing at the clock to see it was thirty minutes after the time they usually met with the rest of Team Seven.

"Don't care. It was worth it." Sasuke smirked and kissed Naruto again lovingly. He tugged on his arm. "Come on, we need a shower. Badly."

Naruto laughed. "Together?"

Sasuke blushed. "Well… We're already late."

"What if they get worried?" Naruto asked, though his worry didn't look all that convincing.

"I have the feeling the deviant knew this would happen anyway," Sasuke announced with a careless shrug.

"Oh… But what if he doesn't say anything, just so they'll come over here and Kakashi and Sakura walk in on us like this?"

Sasuke glared. "Then I'll kill him."

"Sasuke!"

"Seriously maim him," Sasuke corrected.

Naruto glared back.

"Hit him in the head."

Naruto pouted. "He only likes to tease you…"

Sasuke sighed. "I know. Come on, let's get into the shower."

Naruto nodded and followed obediently, wondering if his brother would pull a prank like that. If their roles were reversed, he knew he would be sorely tempted to. The thought made him giggle.

-

In the end, that hadn't happened, and they were so late that Kakashi had beaten them to the training area. The grey-haired Jounin eyed them warily as they walked into the clearing. Sakura, Sai, Sekai and Yume merely looked worried.

"We were about to send out a search party," Kakashi told them, and Sasuke and Naruto weren't sure if he was joking or not.

"Only there weren't any major explosions so it was unlikely that you had killed yourselves in the night," Yume commented, her soft voice dripping with undisguised humor.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We just slept in, that's all."

"When _I _say that I get accused of lying," Kakashi said lowly.

"Because you _are_ lying!" Sakura snapped.

There was a hard look in Sekai's eyes as he gazed at his brother and Sasuke appraisingly. The two younger teens slowly became aware of this, as did everyone else. Sekai's gaze fixed on Sasuke and his head titled to the side thoughtfully.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. _Don't tell me he's angry or something… I didn't even do anything to Naruto. Well, nothing that the deviant would be angry about…_

Slowly, Sekai walked up to the Uchiha until they were nose to nose. Sasuke, being the stubborn young man he was, did not budge. The tension in the air was thick and palpable.

Naruto gulped. "Aniki? Is something wrong?"

Eyes still on Sasuke's, Sekai reached up and tugged down the collar of Sasuke's shirt before the dark-haired boy could stop him. What Sekai saw there caused him to beam happily. Sasuke knocked his hand away irritably, his glare hardening.

"Nothing at all, Naruto-nii," Sekai finally spoke. He stepped back and smiled at Sasuke warmly. "Took you long enough, you irritating brat."

Sasuke willed himself not to blush and tugged his shirt back into place. He'd known that none of his clothes would cover the hickey properly, but even so… Did Sekai really have to make such a big deal out of this? After a moment, Sasuke decided that he probably did.

Sekai held up a finger in front of Sasuke's nose. "But if you ever make my little brother cry again, I swear I'll kill you myself! You got that, Kitty?"

"Whatever, Deviant," Sasuke replied, seemingly emotionless, but he nodded once and held Sekai's gaze firmly to show he understood. Hurting Naruto wasn't in his list of priorities, and he doubted it ever would be again.

Glancing at the others, Sasuke saw Kakashi looking at them with that same discernable gaze he'd been wearing for the past few days. Sasuke really couldn't tell what Kakashi thought of all this, and he was beginning to think the Jounin was mad. Yume and Sai were both smiling peacefully, knowing perfectly well what was going on.

Then his eyes fell on Sakura, whose green orbs were filled with equal measures of sadness and acceptance. Despite himself, Sasuke sighed quietly as a knot of anxiety loosened in his gut. He had hoped that Sakura would understand—he just couldn't love her the way she loved him—and it seemed she did. Maybe, someday, he would find the words to apologize. Now, as bad as it sounded, he wasn't sorry. Naruto returned his feelings and that made him feel good. Better than good.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Okay, since everyone is finally here, we can get down to business." Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a piece of white paper and looked at Sekai. "Today I've decided it's time you found out what element you are."

Sekai beamed widely. "Great!"

Kakashi handed him a paper and explained what to do, as he had to Naruto only a few months earlier. He wasn't too surprised to see the paper begin to drip water moments later. It's not like he'd expected Sekai to be matched with wind like his brother—and their father.

"Water…" Slowly, Sekai smiled returned, though not as bright. "We used to live in the Water Country you know."

"Now I can call you a perverted kappa," Yume teased gently.

Sekai blushed and laughed sheepishly.

Sai was smiling. "Water suits you."

Sekai's smile turned a little shy at that. "Does it?"

Sai nodded.

"He has a water fetish you know," Yume said to Sai.

"Yume-chan!" Sekai's blush returned full force.

Sai grinned. "So should I get his feet wet?"

Sekai made a soft noise of discontent and covered his face, thoroughly embarrassed. Everyone else watched in amusement.

Soon after Kakashi was teaching his newest pupil with the rest of them sitting to the side, observing and talking quietly amongst themselves. Yume was telling Sai an amusing story about from when they were little kids and Sekai had learned how to swim—whilst pulling Kain into the water at the same time. Beside him, Naruto was listening intently and laughing along, but Sasuke had tuned them out. Sekai really was progressing better so there was no need to watch and try to point out his faults when there were no longer any. He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes, concentrating solely on the warm presence of Naruto, whose arm was touching his.

Sakura spoke up tentatively on his other side. "So… How are things between you now?"

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at her. The pink-haired girl was blushing slightly. He could see that her words had gotten Naruto's attention as well.

"I mean… It's not presumptuous of me to ask, is it?" she added, blushing further.

"Erm, no!" Naruto answered, blushing in turn and smiling hesitantly at his (former?) crush. "We're teammates, right?"

Sakura smiled at that.

"Things are…" Naruto looked at Sasuke nervously, as if he didn't know the state of things himself. A lot had happened since the night before.

"Good," Sasuke supplied.

"Erm, yeah, good," Naruto agreed, laughing nervously. "Things are good. We're good."

Sakura nodded. "That's good. I'm glad."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Really? You're… You're not mad?"

"If I was, you wouldn't need to ask! You could tell!" Sakura grinned a little. "No, I'm not mad… I've… known for a while how Sasuke-kun really felt. Actually, I think I've always known. I was just too young to realize it before." Her green eyes hardened. "As long as you're both happy, I don't care, but if you start fighting again, so help me, I'll knock you both into next week! Got it?"

Naruto laughed a little. "Yeah, yeah! Heh, don't worry! I don't…" He looked at Sasuke again. "I don't think it'll get that bad again."

Sasuke smirked. "Oh, we'll fight. I can't imagine that we wouldn't. But killing Naruto would be counterproductive. Necrophilia isn't my thing."

Sakura held back a startled laugh. Had Sasuke always had such a morbid sense of humor? Was it something Naruto brought out in him? Did Naruto make him feel that much at ease? "That's… good to know."

Naruto grinned impishly. "Aw, Sasuke loves me."

Sasuke pretended to glare. "Don't push it."

The blond stuck his tongue out at the Uchiha and, given that Sakura seemed to be okay with everything, he randomly laid his head down in his lap.

Sasuke jumped lightly, startled. "What are you…?"

"M'tired."

"… I suppose you want to be petted too."

"That would be the idea."

"Shit. Bossy asshole."

"You must be referring to yourself. I'm too sweet and lighthearted to be bossy. People like that about me, you know."

"I'm sure," Sasuke drawled, rolling his eyes at Sakura who giggled despite herself, as Sasuke petted the blond head in his lap anyway.

Sure, she was still a little jealous, but Sakura couldn't help but feel happy, seeing them like this. There was a softness in Sasuke's eyes that hadn't been there before. This only solidified the knowledge that she'd been nursing for over a month already. She had already been dealing with it. At the end of things, Sakura felt she had dealt with it rather well. Being spiteful about it wouldn't make anything better; it would just serve to make the boys feel guilty. When everything was said and done, she truly wanted them both to be happy. They deserved it.

Naruto pouted, his eyes still closed. "Hey, buddy, you're not the only dark-haired beauty I could get. There's Neji, and Sai really likes me."

"Sorry, Naruto," Sai spoke up with a cheerful smile. "I'm more interested in your brother at the moment," he admitted.

"Heh…" The words sunk in and Naruto shot up as if he had been lying on a hot iron. "You what?!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't figure that out?"

"Well, no… Wait, you knew? Why didn't you tell me?!" Naruto demanded sourly.

Sasuke shrugged. "I didn't think you were that unobservant. I'll know better next time than to overestimate your intelligence."

"Oi." Naruto took a playful—but irritated—swipe at him, which Sasuke easily dodged with a smirk.

The day continued on much in this manner, and so did the next and the next after that. For a time, things were peaceful in the Hidden Village. Things would get worse eventually, but the companions knew that when it did, they would face the danger together.

TBC.


	12. A Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Chapter Twelve: A Crazy Little Thing Called Love

It did not take long for news of recent events to spread throughout the village. It moved at the rate of a brush fire during a summer heat wave. It was actually rather frightening in some respects; especially the reaction it garnered from people they knew.

"If your friends threaten me one more time not to hurt you, I'll kill them, I swear to fucking god," Sasuke seethed as they walked down the street. They were suddenly Naruto's friends and not his, though he could not say this was a new development. He _had_ been gone for three years.

Naruto was pretty shell-shocked by the ordeal. "I really don't know what's up with them…"

Sasuke snorted. "They love you."

Kiba, Shino, and Hinata had been first.

"Naruto maybe a loudmouth, hyperactive brat," Kiba had said, "but he's sorta my friend, and if you hurt him again I'll kick your ass." Akamaru had barked in agreement.

"I second that sentiment," Shino added in his calm fashion.

Hinata's voice had been surprisingly firm when she stepped forward and said, "Uchiha-san. Naruto-kun is a very kind, strong person and you should appreciate him every moment you're with him. If you don't, I will not forgive you either." She loved Naruto very much and wanted to see him happy no matter what.

Neji had been downright scary. He'd gotten right in Sasuke's face to threaten him. "Hurt him and die. That's your only warning."

Jiraiya was suspicious of Sasuke still, even though this proved what Kakashi had told him earlier—that Sasuke was different than Orochimaru in that he was capable of loving someone. "Hurt him again and you'll learn a new definition of pain. I was saving it for your master, but I don't mind at all teaching you."

Sasuke couldn't even bring himself to be angry really. Irritated, hell yes, but not angry. No one bothered to threaten Naruto. Not even Ino, though she had expressed her displeasure at "losing Sasuke" to the blond ninja.

"Still…" Naruto wasn't sure if he was supposed to be flattered or irritated by all of this. "They could have a bit more faith in you at least."

"Why should they?" Sasuke responded airily. "I've given people very few reasons to trust me."

"You came back!"

Sasuke sighed. "They'll get over it eventually. Now, to the matter at hand, I wonder what the Hokage wants." _She probably wants to threaten me like everyone else, _Sasuke thought exasperatedly.

Naruto walked with his hands folded behind his head. "Maybe there's news on Kain?"

"No. If so everyone would have been called over."

"Oh. Yeah, that's true."

They headed toward the Hokage tower, the streets of Konoha bustling with its usual life. That morning they were visited by an aide that had been sent straight from Tsunade, saying that she wanted to meet with Sasuke. The messenger hadn't said why.

"You think Kakashi-sensei's mad at us?" Naruto asked after a moment.

"I really don't know," Sasuke answered honestly. It was something he had been wondering about himself. Since they had become... lovers (boyfriends? They hadn't really settled on a term), and even before then, Kakashi had been looking at them differently. "Maybe he himself doesn't know how he feels," he added thoughtfully. There wasn't anger behind Kakashi's expression, though it was hard to tell with his mask and Sasuke couldn't say he knew for sure.

"Mm." Naruto didn't know why, but he wanted Kakashi's approval of their relationship. It bothered him that maybe Kakashi was displeased with them.

Sasuke glanced at him and saw the blond's troubled expression. It compelled him to attempt to be supportive. "Don't let it bother you. Whatever it is, Kakashi's not liable to stay silent about it for very long."

"Yeah. I guess so." Naruto still looked uneasy, but he gave Sasuke a smile all the same.

As they entered her office, Tsunade stood up and smiled invitingly. "Naruto, Sasuke. Thank you for coming so quickly."

"What's going on, Baa-chan?" Naruto asked, curious that there was no note of urgency in Tsunade's speech. Perhaps Sasuke was right after all and it had nothing to do with Kain?

"Nothing you need to worry about," Tsuande said, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Naruto, can you wait in here with Shizune? I need to speak to Sasuke alone."

Even more confused, Naruto managed a nod. "Sure…" He looked at his lover to see Sasuke's eyes hardening in suspicion. He watched them walk outside to the balcony before turning to Shizune. "What's going on?"

Shizune smiled. "I wouldn't worry about it, Naruto."

"People keep telling me that," Naruto said sourly, sitting on Tsunade's desk and crossing his arms and legs. "It only makes me more worried."

"Especially when Sasuke is concerned?" Shizune asked, her eyes gleaming mischievously.

Naruto flushed. "You heard too?"

The woman smiled. "Who hasn't? People are going to be talking about this for months. You're both quite the celebrities, you know."

Naruto's flush deepened. "I think Sasuke's right and people should just mind their own business…"

Shizune giggled. She had been fond of Naruto since they'd met and she was one of the few people that knew how exactly Tsunade thought of the boy. Not even Jiraiya knew completely about Tsunade's hopes for Naruto.

It was a very closely kept secret.

-

Tsunade remembered the day Sasuke had returned. The Uchiha had been wearing the remnants of clothing like that which Orochimaru had always worn, only torn and bloody from fighting. He and Naruto had barely been alive. Sakura had done all she could for them and Tsunade knew if she hadn't been there to do the initial healing, neither boy would have made the trip back to the village. Sasuke, though, had been slightly better off than Naruto. He'd been conscious.

She couldn't believe the story Sakura told her of how Sasuke had been ready to kill Naruto, then surprised them all in the last second by turning his attack on his master—former master now. Tsunade remembered looking down at the boy as he was treated by medic-nin, assessing the blank look in his eyes and wondering if the fifteen ANBU stationed in the hospital would be enough. Naruto was in the next room being treated as well. She would've rather been in there helping with the blond boy's injuries, but she was obligated to do her duty first and foremost.

"Is he alright?" Sasuke had asked in a surprisingly steady voice in his critical condition.

Tsunade hadn't understood the question. "Orochimaru?"

Sasuke had glared. "No. The idiot."

That surprised her. "His condition is stable, for the moment."

Seemingly reassured, Sasuke had promptly passed out from the blood loss.

The present Sasuke stood a few feet away, leaning forward against the railing and looking over the village he had abandoned three years ago. The angry avenger from then and the one standing before her now were almost two different people. Though perhaps not entirely trustworthy, but the Third had given Anko another chance, and Tsunade felt she should do the same for Sasuke.

Tsunade remembered the news Shizune had brought to her earlier—that Naruto and Sasuke were now a couple—and the idea it had given her. The plans she had wouldn't succeed unless she had someone else working beside the scenes. That someone needed to be close to Naruto.

"What's this about?" Sasuke asked abruptly. He was irritated at being stared at.

Tsunade evaded the question for the moment and asked one of her own. "Do you know the necklace Naruto wears?"

Sasuke blinked at her, confused at the subject change. "The blue one? Yeah. He never takes it off."

Tsunade smiled at that. It pleased her that the gift meant so much to Naruto. "I gave him that when we met. It was my grandfather's."

The Uchiha's eyes widened. _The First Hokage?! _"He never told me that," he confessed.

"You should ask him about it sometime." Tsunade paused, turning to look out over the village. "… I've given that necklace to two other people before. My brother and my lover, both for the same reason—because they told me that one day they would become Hokage." She glanced back to see that her words had garnered another surprised reaction from Sasuke. "And I believed them. I believed they could do it." It was painful to speak of this, but she felt she needed Sasuke to understand her motives. "Do you understand why I'm telling you this?"

Slowly, Sasuke nodded as his mind processed the Fifth's confession. "You plan to name Naruto your successor."

Tsunade nodded, confirming his thoughts.

Sasuke looked away. The first day they had met, Naruto had proclaimed that one day he would become Hokage. It had continued to be his dream all these years later. Little did he know how close he was to accomplishing his goal, how near it was to his grasp, and Sasuke felt a sharp stab of jealousy. Naruto's dream would come true, but what about his own goal? Itachi would die; he had sacrificed too much to not accomplish it now. But… why did these things have to be so much easier for Naruto?

Sasuke forced the emotion away, banishing it with anger. What right did he have to think Naruto had it easy? He _knew_ how hard Naruto had worked. If anyone had taken the easier route, it was himself, and the price he had paid was more than the burn on his neck. And Naruto, though he didn't agree with it necessarily, supported Sasuke's ambition as long as he came back home safely. If Sasuke truly felt as he did for the blond, then shouldn't he do the same in turn?

Was he even capable of it, or were all of Naruto's friends right about him? Did Sasuke carry inside the seeds to his own destructive downfall?

**No. **That was in the past. Orochimaru was dead and one day Itachi would be too, then it would be over. Then he could live some kind of life with Naruto. He wouldn't repeat what he had done in the Valley of the End ever again.

Tsunade continued speaking as he thought. "He is nowhere near ready yet however."

That surprised Sasuke. "You mean he's not strong enough?" It seemed impossible to comprehend. Naruto had become so much stronger than three years ago. He and the blond were evenly matched.

The blonde woman shook her head. "Not quite. If strength alone was a requirement, then Sarutobi-sensei would have made Orochimaru the Fourth Hokage, not Naruto and Sekai's father. There's more to being Hokage than merely strength. Naruto has the right spirit that's needed for the role and in that he will always beat out any candidate the elders would see chosen. My greatest fear, though, is that Naruto will not be ready psychologically or emotionally for the task of leadership." She smiled at Sasuke. "That is why I'm telling you this. I'm preparing things on my end, but there are other things that need to be done that I can't."

"I don't understand," Sasuke said. "What can I do for him?"

"Naruto has always had the rash habit of running into things without thinking. He figures things out eventually, and that's okay in a fight but not always so on a diplomatic level. There is no role more uncertain and alone than that of a leader. I fear for Naruto."

_She doesn't want him to be alone, _Sasuke realized. _She doesn't know if she'll always be there to help him. _

"Naruto needs you. You know him better than anyone, I think, right?" Tsunade smiled at Sasuke gently. It didn't take a genius to see how much Sasuke had changed and how much Naruto was responsible for that. "In his darkest moment—and it _will_ come—he will need you there beside him to remind him of what he's fighting for. You must be his strength when he has none left. You must protect him when he can no longer protect himself."

Sasuke understood what he was being asked. It wasn't that Tsunade didn't have faith in Naruto's abilities. She just wanted to be sure someone would always be there to watch his back and support him. But Tsunade could have asked any and all of Naruto's friends to do that. Sasuke was different than the rest of them though.

_Naruto and I are the same. We have known the same loneliness. But Naruto can shine in the sunlight. I can protect him from the darkness. _

Tsunade grinned. "So, do you think you have room in your busy revenge schedule for what I'm proposing?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I probably would have ended up doing it even if you hadn't."

She chuckled warmly. "Good to hear. Now that that's settled, I also wanted to tell you that no one can know about this for some time. If the elders found out my plans they would seek to stop me."

Sasuke frowned. "They can't make you change your mind. Your successor is your choice."

"A lot has been happening since you left. The elders know already I have a fondness for Naruto. They don't trust him because he's the container for the Kyuubi. That's all the fossils will ever see him as," she explained fiercely.

All of a sudden, Sasuke felt he understood Tsunade completely just from seeing her anger and protectiveness of Naruto. She would do anything she could for him, and Sasuke was the same way. This, too, was why she'd asked this of him.

"I won't tell," Sasuke promised.

Tsunade looked him in the eye firmly. "Not even Naruto. It's too soon for him to know yet."

Sasuke nodded. "I understand… But why do you trust me? How do you know for certain I don't mean to betray everyone again?"

"I think that if you were going to leave, you would have done it already." Tsunade smiled. "I've never known you to be a very patient person. You're like Naruto in that way too."

Sasuke snorted, knowing this was true.

-

Sakura was the first to enter to the Yamanaka flower shop and Ino could immediately tell that the pink-haired girl was angry.

"I didn't mean for you to tell the whole village!" Sakura cried. "Everyone that we know keeps threatening Sasuke-kun!"

Ino smirked. "You always underestimated the speed of my information network."

Sakura glared. "I still knew they were a couple before you did! How's that for speed?"

Ino's expression fell as the reality of their situation came upon her again. "I guess I won't need it anymore," she noted, sighing loudly. She glanced back at Sakura. "If you hadn't wanted me to tell anyone, you shouldn't have told me in the first place."

"I thought you should know!"

Ino glanced over Sakura's shoulder and saw that the other kunoichi had been followed in by Sai, Yume, and Sekai. The small blind girl was riding on the cross-dressing blond boy's back, and Sekai was leaning down to look at some violets. Sai noticed Ino's inquisitive stare and smiled at her politely.

Ino waved before sighing again and plopping forward onto the counter. "Sheesh. I'm still in shock! I thought I had to fight _you_ for Sasuke-kun. I never expected that I should have been battling Naruto instead!"

"Does that bother you? That they're gay?" Sakura asked cautiously.

The blond girl bit her lip. "I don't know. I mean, Shikamaru and Chouji both said that they expected this to happen. Expected! How could they expect it? It's not like Sasuke-kun has ever acted very gay."

Ino was interrupted as Sekai broke out into hysteric laughter. He coughed and collected himself quickly after noticing he'd gotten both girls' attention. "Er, excuse me. Ahem."

Ino flushed, feeling foolish. Was she really the only one who hadn't noticed? "I'm not homophobic or anything. I'm just surprised, that's all. I mean, the way those two fight!"

"Foreplay," Sai, Sekai, and Yume commented in unison.

Sakura blushed. "Well, I kind of suspected, but I didn't know for certain. Personally, it seems… right this way. For them to be together, I mean."

"Hmm. I guess." Ino sighed again.

Sakura patted her shoulder. "It's not the end of the world."

"_Don't_ say there are other fish in the sea. My mother's been saying that all morning!"

"Well, it's true." Sakura shrugged.

"Yeah…" Ino's eyes fell on Sai again. He did look an awful lot like Sasuke. "Yeah, you might be right."

Sakura noticed the direction of her gaze. "Um, there's something else I need to tell you too." She leaned forward and whispered quickly into Ino's ear.

Ino gaped. "Geez, them too? Is it contagious?!"

Sai and Sekai blinked at her, confused. Yume giggled.

-

Iruka was erasing that day's lessons off the chalkboard as he heard familiar voices coming from outside his classroom. The bickering made him smile.

"Using the door is more polite," Sasuke was saying.

"But the window is faster! We had to walk down three hallways just to get here!" Naruto argued. The sour look on his face brightened when he entered and caught sight of their academy teacher. "Hi, Iruka-sensei!" Sasuke nodded a silent greeting as he came in after him.

"Hello, you two," Iruka answered. "Sekai-kun isn't with you?"

"Nah, he's with Sai," Naruto told him.

"Thank god," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

Naruto glared. "Sasuke!"

"I didn't say anything," the Uchiha said defensively.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "And don't think I forgot about you not telling me what that meeting was about."

"I _did_ tell you," Sasuke argued. "She was only checking up on me, that's all."

"You're lying!" Naruto accused.

"Hey, hey," Iruka interrupted, his easy-going manner breaking through the squabbling. "I'd thought you two were getting along now."

Naruto flushed deeply. "You… heard about that?"

Iruka smiled. "Who hasn't? Actually, Kakashi-sensei came and talked to me about it."

"Really? Why? Did he seem mad?"

The older man blinked. "No, not mad… Perhaps confused. I really shouldn't say more until he's ready to tell you himself."

Naruto frowned, troubled by this news. Well, at least Kakashi wasn't mad at them. If Iruka said he wasn't then Naruto believed him.

"Did you come for something in particular?" Iruka asked.

Naruto smiled a little. "No, I just haven't seen you in a while."

"So you were wondering if I wanted to treat you to ramen?" Iruka finished with a knowing smile.

Naruto laughed sheepishly. "Yeah!"

Iruka glanced at Sasuke. The Uchiha was looking at Naruto with a seemingly blank stare, but his eyes were perceptively softened—not just from a month ago but from when he was a child as well. Sasuke, while extremely gifted, had dealt with his sorrow and loneliness by becoming cold and introverted. He had always been calm with anger simmering just bellow the surface, but after his time with Orochimaru, Sasuke had become downright scary. It was as much because of that as his betrayal that people continued to distrust him. Most likely, it would take years before things would get easier for Sasuke, and even then, it could never go back to how it was before. Trust, once lost, was not easily regained.

But seeing that softness in his eyes was encouraging.

Sasuke caught his stare. "You're going to threaten me now too, aren't you?" he guessed.

Iruka couldn't help but smile. "Have people been threatening you? They're brave enough to face your wrath?"

Sasuke snorted.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I don't know what the fuss is all about… I mean, yeah, we're dating now, but why's everyone making a big deal about it?"

"You've both become an interest to people," Iruka noted thoughtfully. "Though Sasuke's always garnered interest amongst the villagers. Remember the reaction at the Chuunin exam? How everyone was looking forward to his fight with Gaara of the Sand?"

Naruto nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"And now with the rumors of you surpassing your father, Naruto, it's no wonder you've become quite the celebrity too," Iruka added with a warm smile. "So, I suppose the two of you getting together can be equated to a royal marriage."

Naruto blushed brightly. "… Marriage?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We're sixteen, idiot."

"Yes, I hope you two spend more time together before jumping into a marriage," Iruka joked lightly.

"Marriage?" Naruto squeaked.

Sasuke sighed and looked at Iruka frustratingly. "You broke his brain."

Iruka giggled.

Naruto blinked as something suddenly occurred to him. "So, you're okay with all this, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka rubbed his chin. "Well… I've known you both for a long time, and even though I've become an outsider looking in since you graduated, I haven't stopped looking. I know that the two of you, though different on the outside, are very much the same. I also know how much the two of you inspired each other to become stronger." The man smiled gently at Sasuke. "And I believe everyone deserves a second chance."

Sasuke could have killed Naruto. Iruka was well aware of that, from the things Kakashi had told him. But instead, Sasuke had joined forces with Naruto and destroyed one of Konoha's most powerful enemies. He had allowed Naruto to bring him home and he'd stayed. Perhaps, like Naruto, Iruka was too trusting, but he was willing to give Sasuke the benefit of a doubt.

Sasuke was confused. _So he's not going to threaten me?_ Sasuke knew very well that Iruka and Naruto thought of each other as father and son. If anyone had the right to be suspicious, it was the academy teacher. Instead, he appeared to be completely accepting.

Iruka put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Now, how about that ramen?"

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered and headed toward the exit.

Sasuke grabbed the collar of his jacket easily before he could reach the window. "_This_ way, idiot."

Naruto pouted. "Bastard…"

Iruka giggled at their antics all the way to Ichiraku's.

-

Kakashi knew he was not supposed to be on his own, but he needed to think about things without Gai, Yamato, or anyone else around. Or maybe he just needed someone to talk to who wouldn't remind him constantly that Naruto and Sasuke's relationship was inevitable. He knew that already. None of them seemed to appreciate his confusion.

So Kakashi went to find the seediest bar there was in Konoha.

The bartender looked up as the masked man sat down in front of him. "The usual, Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi nodded and watched blankly as his drink was prepared and served. He gulped down nearly half the glass before another man a few barstools away caught his attention. The man was in his mid-twenties, wearing a loose blue kimono, with his long brown hair draped uncaringly over his shoulders and down his back like a shawl. There were several sake bottles in front of him.

"Another, please," the man said in a smooth, quiet voice.

"Don't you think you've had enough, sir?" the bartender asked, concerned.

The man looked up to glare, some of his hair moving out of his face and revealing that, even though he was incredibly drunk, he was still very attractive. "You get more money if I continue drinking, right? So why do you care?"

Kakashi couldn't help but be amused. "But if you die of alcohol poisoning then you won't be able to come back for more drinks another time."

Saburo blinked slowly at the gray-haired ninja, noticing his presence for the first time. "Good point." He smiled a little at the bartender. "Don't worry. I know my limit, and I'm no where near it yet."

Kakashi looked at the sake bottles and raised an eyebrow. "You're sure of that?"

Saburo laughed softly. "I've had plenty enough experience, believe me." He sighed and refilled his cup gratefully. "So, what's your story?" he asked the ninja. "Drowning your sorrows, or just in for a night cap?"

Kakashi shrugged evasively. "Maybe a little of both."

"Ah, a secretive man."

"You look like you have a few secrets yourself," Kakashi pointed out.

Saburo smiled. "Nothing I wouldn't divulge if I was drunk enough."

"Are you?"

"Maybe. What do you want to know?"

Kakashi was mildly curious by this man. He didn't know why. "Well… I'll turn your earlier question back on you: are you here drowning your sorrows or just for pleasure?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Saburo asked mock-brightly. "Drowning!"

"I tried to get him to talk about it," the bartender whispered to Kakashi. "He blew me off."

Saburo waved dismissively at him. "I'll tell you what. If you," he pointed at Kakashi, "tell me why you're here, I'll tell you my sob story. I'll even go first if you like." Saburo had always liked truth and dare as a child. He remembered it was one of the frequent games he'd played with his sister; it was a vague memory, one of the few he still had of the time before Kain had taken him away from his village.

Kakashi sipped his drink and thought about the offer. This was what he'd wanted, right? Someone to talk to who wouldn't judge him? It wasn't like he'd see this man again, or that he'd tell anyone he knew. Eventually he shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Excellent," Saburo said. "I'll go first, if you like?"

Kakashi nodded. "Please." He almost hoped the man's story would be worse than his own.

Saburo gazed down into his glass, collecting his thoughts. He couldn't name names, of course, but he could speak generally. "At a young age I was taken into the service of my master. He thought I had potential and that I could be of use to him. As I grew older, I began to accept my life and even came to love him." He smiled self-deprecatingly. "Unfortunately, all my master really cares about is power. He even slept with me as an extension of his power over me."

Kakashi assumed that by "master" the young man meant that he was in service in the household of a feudal lord. It wasn't unheard of for them to be greedy and to sleep around with their servants.

Saburo went on. "My… little brother recently ran away from home and made his greatest dream come true. My master is furious. I am… jealous. That he found freedom and happiness. That he has dreams. It's… been a long time since I had dreams. All I have is one wish."

"Wish?" Kakashi echoed.

"I wish… that I could believe in love as much as my little brother." Saburo smiled sadly. No matter how much he had suffered, Sekai hadn't given up on love. He had fought to be with Naruto and his friends. He had made it happen.

Kakashi could sympathize. "It has been a long time since I've believed in love."

Saburo glanced at the masked man. "Oh?"

The man had spilled what was most likely a painful subject, so Kakashi felt he should do the same—after getting a second drink. "I… lost my best friend a long time ago. Since then, it's been hard for me to grow attached to people—to trust them again. Until I got my own students, that is. It took a while, but the three of them grew on me, even the most annoying one. He and the most talented one were rivals from the start. They've… been fighting for a long time, but now they've become best friends.

"They've started sleeping together too." Kakashi shrugged. "Everyone tells me I should be happy that they've finally found happiness; and that being together will keep them from blowing up the village—hopefully. But really… I'm a little jealous of them. I wonder if maybe the same would have happened if my friend hadn't died."

Saburo smiled at Kakashi thoughtfully. The story didn't at all sound familiar. "You're very lucky."

Kakashi blinked at him. "Huh?"

"You have loved and lost, and have been able to love again," Saburo pointed out. "Those three students, you love them very much, right?"

Kakashi nodded slowly. "Yes. Yes, I do."

"Then you should focus on that. I won't tell you to put aside your regrets. I'm not quite that much of a hypocrite. It just seems to me that, even with your losses, you still have a lot to be grateful for."

Kakashi thought about that. He had lost Obito, Rin, and the Fourth, but he still had Naruto and Sakura—and he had gotten Sasuke back when he had seemed too far gone for redemption. He even had a few other friends, like Gai and Yamato. Sekai, Yume, and Sai as well, if he was being honest with himself. He supposed that, as the man said, he still had a lot to be grateful for.

Saburo glanced at the clock on the wall. "Hmm. I suppose I should be getting back. The old man is waiting for me." He waved at the ninja before sliding off his seat gingerly, paying the bartender for his drinks—and Kakashi's. "My thanks," he told him. "For listening."

Kakashi found himself smiling. "I'm the one that should be thanking you. You've given me a lot to think about."

Saburo smiled back. "You seem like a smart guy. You would have figured it out eventually." He prepared to head for the door.

"Oi," Kakashi called, stopping him. "Don't let yourself be pushed around by that guy anymore. You're too pretty for that."

Saburo's felt his smile becoming more real. It had been a long time since he had been flattered. He surprised the ninja, and himself, by leaning in to kiss his cheek. "For the compliment," he explained, and left. (1)

Kakashi stared after him for a long time.

TBC.

1. Sekai got his flirtatiousness somewhere. P

Due to recent chapters (143-145 and on) this fic is no longer following along with canon. While I was right about Sasuke turning against Orochimaru, I was wrong about when and how it would happen. P I like my ideas well enough not to go back and make the necessary corrections. shrug Just wanted to make note of it.


	13. Raging Waves

Chapter Thirteen: Raging Waves

It was a few days after his last trip to Konoha that Saburo found himself walking back. At the gate, he hesitated, remembering what had brought him here.

-

_Kain threw the crutches onto the ground angrily. "I'm not using these things! It's embarrassing."_

_Saburo was thoroughly frustrated with his teacher at this point. "I told you, your leg still has a lot of healing to do. If you insist on attacking, you need to use those. It's not like they'll hinder you or anything."_

_The older man gazed at Saburo's own uninjured form distastefully. Saburo's aloof and cold attitude toward him was angering him more and more with each passing day. He consoled himself with the fact that he could bring his student down on his knees with a single flick of his wrist, if he so chose. Kain just didn't want to break Saburo's spirit. His disobedience gave him character, made him interesting. He was a valuable asset. Reminding himself of these things helped calm him. _

_Kain smirked. "Well, why don't you make yourself useful instead of drinking yourself into liver failure?"_

-

Saburo closed his eyes and inhaled the sharp morning air. He did not want to do this. He did not want to disturb Sekai and Yume's happiness.

But he had no choice. This was all he had. He wasn't like Sekai; if he threw this life away, there was nothing else for him. He hated Kain, but he still loved him too. That was all he had in the world.

_I'm sorry, Sekai. _

-

The sound of cereal pouring into bowls was interrupted by a sharp tapping against the window. Sasuke glanced up and saw there was a hawk perched outside the kitchen window, poking the glass with its beak.

Curious, Sasuke walked over to the window and slid it open. The bird handed him a scroll and abruptly flew away. He watched it go before looking down at the scroll in his hands.

It was covered in sand and blood.

Unrolling it revealed the message inside. It was very short and written in red, angry ink.

_Uchiha Sasuke,_

_Hurt him and this is what will happen to you. _

_- Kazekage_

Sasuke understood the meaning right away and walked into his bedroom with the message. "Naruto," he called out dryly. "Gaara of the Sand wants to kill me again." He had started getting threats from people he didn't even know now, like the Third Hokage's grandson. The threats had long since ceased to surprise him.

Naruto stuck his head out the shower curtain, wet hair plastered to his face. "Huh?" His nose wrinkled cutely in confusion. "Did you get stronger again without telling me? Geez, Sasuke, you're worse than a shoujo anime!"

Sasuke held up the note for him to see. Naruto squinted at it, then shut off the shower and stepped out of the bathroom, not even bothering to grab a towel. Not that Sasuke was at all averse to this.

Naruto frowned at the note. "Wait… Gaara knows about us too?"

Sasuke didn't take his eyes off the wet blond's muscular frame. "I guess so," he said unenthusiastically.

"But, how?"

"Maybe Shikamaru told Temari."

"Oh… Sasuke, you _do_ know my eyes are up here, right?"

Sasuke finally looked up. "You walk out naked and wet, then expect me not to look?" he asked wryly.

Naruto smirked, tossed the letter from Gaara onto the floor, and dragged the Uchiha into the bathroom without further ado.

-

Across the village, three girls and one boy crowded inside of a small dressing room.

"It's about time we got you some other clothes," Sakura said as she tightened the obi around Sekai's waist. "Especially underwear. You can't keep sharing Naruto's forever."

"Yeah," Ino added playfully. "Naruto's hips are bigger than yours." She was there only because she'd had nothing better to do today, and Sakura had invited her along.

Sekai flushed. "I can't help being stunted."

"Well, not a lot of guys could pull your wardrobe off," Ino offered. "So really, you're lucky." She didn't know why, but helping Sekai dress hadn't been that embarrassing. Sekai was like one of the girls.

This was Sekai's first time wearing a kimono. He was grateful for the help, even when they teased him. "I guess… This thing has so many layers. It looked cuter on the rack. I feel like an onion."

Sakura ran an admiring hand over the cloth. It was dark blue, with a lighter blue flower pattern toward the bottom. "You look good in it though."

"We should do something with his hair too," Ino added excitedly.

Sekai flushed. "Did you play dress up with dolls when you were younger?"

Yume giggled from her place on the ground. Though she couldn't see it, she could tell her friend was uncomfortable with the attention. "Don't complain. You wanted it, so suffer."

Sekai pouted. "Yume-chan…"

"It's a shame you can't wear anything but blue," Ino noted. "Red clashes with your hair, pink looks _too_ feminine, and black makes you look like a vampire." Sekai lacked his younger brother's tanned skin. Naruto could pull off brighter or darker colors. Though perhaps orange wasn't entirely safe for a ninja to wear…

"And white doesn't bring out his eyes," Sakura added.

Ino nodded. "Right."

Sekai sighed. "It's really not my fault," he complained.

"Hold still or I'll mess this up," Sakura said as she began pinning up Sekai's golden locks.

"Yes, yes." Sekai assented to the treatment, having no choice in the matter.

-

Hinata was on her way out of the clothing store when she noticed a familiar face sitting outside of the girls' dressing rooms. "Sai-san? What are you doing here?" She had heard that no one in Naruto's group was supposed to be on their own, so it concerned her to see Sai sitting there by himself.

Sai smiled at the girl politely. "Waiting. Everyone's in there." He pointed to the dressing rooms. "We're getting Sekai some new clothes. My job is to offer a second opinion after Sekai tries something on."

Hinata smiled back. "Oh, I see! But… Shouldn't Sekai be in the men's dressing room?"

"This one was closer," Sai admitted. The men's section was on the other side of the store.

Hinata knew very well the outfits Sekai wore. It was kind of hard to miss. "But shouldn't he get some masculine clothes as well?"

"He says he wouldn't wear them," Sai explained cheerfully. The most masculine thing he had ever seen Sekai wearing were boxers. "Sekai likes girl clothes. He says they're cuter than the stuff for boy's."

"I… see…" Hinata collected herself. "Well, I'll be going now. Tell Sekai-kun and everyone I said hello."

Sai nodded. "Have a nice day, Hinata-san."

"You as well, Sai-san."

It wasn't long afterwards when Sekai at last reemerged from the dressing room. Sai could only stare—Sekai had always seemed beautiful to him, but now the effect was amplified by the finely tailored dress and pinned up hair.

"Well? What do you think?" Ino urged Sai.

"We think he looks great," Sakura said.

Sai finally remembered how to form words and sentences. "Yes..." he said to Sekai. "You look great."

Sekai flushed deeply in pleasure, his eyes downcast in shyness. "I feel like an onion. It took forever to get me into this thing."

A previously unnoticed impulse materialized from the depths of Sai's mind, coming into the forefront of his thoughts with startling intensity. He wanted to take the kimono off. He wanted to unwrap Sekai like a Christmas present. Carefully, slowly revealing every inch of skin underneath the blue cloth, because Sekai looked very fragile right then.

Ino smirked at the bowled over expression on Sai's face. "I think this one's a winner," she told Sakura.

Sakura nodded in full agreement.

-

Shikamaru gazed at the blonde girl from across the shogi board, surprised with her last admission. "You told your brother?"

Temari grinned. "It was too much of a temptation. I had to."

"What did he do?"

"He sent Uchiha a threatening letter. I think, anyway. He wouldn't show it to anyone."

Shikamaru snorted. "At this rate, Naruto's parents are going to come back from the dead just to threaten Sasuke. It's almost a sport."

Temari laughed. "Well, it's a good thing Gaara got over his crush on Naruto recently and started dating that Rock Lee kid, or it would have been more than a letter."

In his shock, Shikamaru dropped the game piece in his hand. "Wait… Lee and Gaara are together?"

Temari blinked mock-innocently. "I didn't mention that?"

"No!"

"Oh. Well, I meant to."

Shikamaru glared at her lightly before moving to pick up the piece he'd dropped.

Temari grabbed his wrist. "Nuh huh. No take-backs."

"That was an accident!"

"Too bad. It still counts."

Shikamaru pulled his hand from the girl's grasp. "Why do I always get the bossy girls?"

Temari grinned. "It's that winning personality of yours."

"Humph. It's your turn."

-

_This looks like a good spot, _Saburo decided and sat down in the middle of the well-tended garden. It belonged to one of the upper-class citizens of the village and it was very large. He sat in the shade of a willow tree and activated his talismans.

No later was a large portion of Konoha covered in a maze of hedges and stone walls. By the time anyone noticed it was too late.

-

Sakura opened her eyes when she heard a girl's scream. Only a moment before she had been standing in the clothing store with her friends. Now she was in a grassy meadow surrounded by some sort of stone fence. Trees were scattered around, trees like she'd never seen before. The trunks were huge, like the size of a house, and the leaves were purple. Thunder clouds were building in the sky.

There was another scream and Sakura ran toward the sound. Behind one of those humongous trees she saw Yume being held at the ankle by some creature. Its figure was vaguely human, but it had no distinguishing features, and its skin looked vaguely rock. The moment Sakura emerged on the scene, it turned toward her.

"Yume-chan, hold on!" Sakura shouted.

"Sakura-chan!" Yume sobbed, relieved. "It's a golem! It's made of rock! Punch it with all your strength!"

Sakura nodded and ran toward the golem, not questioning how Yume could possibly know what it was that had her. With the strength she'd learned from Tsunade, she swung at the thing's belly.

There was an uneasy moment when nothing happened and Sakura was sure she'd made a terrible mistake getting so close to the golem, when it abruptly crumbled, rocks and sand falling to the grass. Sakura caught Yume before she could hit the ground as well.

Yume wrapped her arms around Sakura's neck. "Quickly! It regenerates!"

"Huh!?" Sakura looked back on the ground, and sure enough, the rock creature was slowly reforming itself from the feet up, like invisible hands molding clay. She took Yume's advice and ran, heading toward the meadow's exit.

More golems appeared, emerging from the walls. They did not run, but their long strides seemed to be able to keep up unerringly with Sakura as she ran.

"What is this place?" Sakura gasped. "How do you know what they are?"

Yume bit her bottom lip. "Sakura-chan, tell me. The trees. Are they gray?"

Sakura frowned. "No. Purple."

The blind girl let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. This is sort of an illusionary technique created long ago by the Talisman Users. It's very powerful and can encircle miles of territory if the user is strong enough, but it takes an incredible amount of concentration to keep up. The golems are one of two traps you'll find inside."

"Why did you want to know if they were gray?" Sakura asked, almost dreading the answer.

"The trees take on the user's favorite color. It's like a signature. Sekai's is blue, Saburo-kun is purple, and Kain-sama is gray."

_If it had been gray, we would have been in bigger trouble,_ Sakura realized.

Yume continued. "When Kain taught this to Sekai, I was caught inside. I recognize the smell!"

Then the pink-haired girl gasped as she realized the exit was slowly becoming smaller—not because they were moving away from it, but because it was closing. The golems were also closing in on them.

Sakura jumped the last few feet and barely made it through before the walls slammed shut.

Outside, the kunoichi got to her feet and looked around, only to be surprised again. They were standing atop a flight of stairs that led down to what appeared to be a very, very large maze.

"I think you need to explain this technique to me in more detail," Sakura managed to say as she began walking, carrying Yume on her back.

-

In a different section of the labyrinth, Sekai and Sai stood back to back as they faced off against a rather large group of golems.

"So this is a maze?" Sai asked conversationally.

"Of sorts," Sekai answered. "It's a bit of a mind fuck really. Not too unlike the Mangekyo Sharingan, from what I hear. It's more of a tactical move; I prefer more straightforward attacks."

Sai smiled. "Like your brother."

Sekai grinned back. "Hey, can you cover me for a second?"

"Of course." Sai didn't know what he had in mind, but when Sekai took off in the direction of a nearby fountain, he immediately stepped around and activated his Choju Giga technique. Tigers leapt from his scroll and began mauling the golems.

"Try to keep them from regenerating!" Sekai called. He jumped into the fountain and stepped onto the water, easily floating above it with chakra.

"Do you have an idea?" Sai asked. There was a keen look in Sekai's blue eyes. Naruto often got that look when he was plotting something he thought was clever.

"Sort of. I've been thinking about it for a while since Kakashi-sama started teaching me elemental jutsu." Sekai brought his hands together to form seals, murmuring lowly under his breath.

Sai watched as talismans appeared around Sekai's body and the water rose out of the fountain to surround the blond's body until there wasn't a drop left. Then Sekai thrust his hands outward as if he were throwing something bodily away from himself. The water jutted forward and splashed the crumbled golems—and Sai.

Sekai, whose kimono was completely dry, flushed. "Er, sorry. I need to work on my direction…"

The golems, which had been in the midst of reforming themselves even with the ink tigers attacking them, slumped to the ground in muddy lumps.

Sai smiled and smoothed back his wet hair. "You merged a water jutsu with water talismans," he noted approvingly.

Sekai beamed warmly at the tone. "Normally the talismans don't carry a lot of water. I'll need to power them up more in the future. But, that's why I used the water in the fountain. That, and it looked cooler, don't you think?" he asked cheekily.

Looking at that cheeky smile, as if they weren't in an incredibly dangerous situation, Sai thought that he'd still like to take the kimono off the blond. How odd.

"Anyway," Sekai went on, "we need to get to the center. The only way to stop this is to find Saburo and he'll be in the center of the maze."

Sai looked around at all the different directions they could take. "Which way do we go?"

"Er, that's the problem."

"Problem?"

"Yeah." Sekai shuffled his feet sheepishly. "Every maze is different and it changes all the time."

"Oh dear," Sai murmured as he saw the 'problem.'

Sekai nodded. "Yeah." He brightened. "Well, let's get started!"

-

Sasuke approached a familiar set of doors. He stopped before them, staring at them for a long moment before finally pushing them open. Inside was a sight he knew would be there.

His brother Itachi stood over the bodies of his recently murdered parents.

"_Why are you so weak?"_ Itachi's voice echoed in his mind.

Sasuke snorted and gazed at the scene distastefully with glowing red eyes, his Sharingan long-since activated. "Please. If you're going to torture me mentally, pick something more original, would you?" he asked whoever was doing this and easily dispelled the illusion.

The rock creatures were easy enough to avoid. He was quick on his feet and any that stood in his path he just cut down with Kusanagi.

With the Sharingan activated, he could find his way easily through the genjutsu maze. The chakra currents running through it were coming from some place in the center of the disturbance so he was headed in that direction, thinking to find the source.

All in all it was rather obvious and boring, though more clever than any genjutsu Sekai had used up to that point.

Sasuke made a mental note to tease the blond about that later.

-

Having long gotten tired of trying to navigate the maze, Sakura had begun punching holes through the stone walls and obliterating the hedges to get to the center. She had already used up all her explosives on the golems—it hadn't taken long to run out of her supply.

Yume giggled. "This is much faster."

Sakura smiled. "I hope everyone else is okay."

"Don't worry. I'm sure the traps are nothing they can't handle."

-

Sasuke paused as he came upon a field of battle.

There was Naruto, using as many of his clones as he possibly could, and fending off a group of golems, many of whom had kunai sticking out of them. Three Narutos stood in the middle, currently activating the improved Rasengan—the Futon: RasenShuriken—and it obviously wasn't the first time Naruto had used it, if the craters were anything to go by. (1)

Sasuke sighed. _There he goes, using his muscles before his brain again; at this rate he'll break himself in half doing that jutsu…_ Still, Naruto seemed to have the matter in hand at the moment, so Sasuke leaned back against a wall and watched.

It occurred to Sasuke that he had never just watched Naruto fight before. It was more impressive than he'd expected. Battling Naruto was exhilarating—more so than any other opponent Sasuke had yet to fight. He _enjoyed_ it. Maybe Sekai was right and that was sexual tension.

Twitching, Sasuke decided no, the deviant definitely wasn't right. If he was, it wasn't like Sasuke would ever admit it anyway.

There was the business about him and Naruto belonging together too. Sasuke didn't know about that so much. He wanted to be with Naruto, yes, but he didn't think it was _fated_ or anything that mushy.

When it was done, the rock creatures were destroyed and Naruto lay on the ground, panting heavily. Using the new Rasengan once was enough to tire him, but multiple times? Naruto could barely stand and he was obviously struggling to get back on his feet.

The golems were regenerating already.

Naruto slipped and landed hard on his knees with a groan. Distantly, he became aware that there was a shrill chirping sound. It was a second before he realized why it sounded familiar.

Quickly slamming his Chidori into all of the reforming golems, Sasuke lifted Naruto up and helped him away from his craters.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked, keeping Naruto's arm around his shoulders as they ran. The blond wasn't leaning too heavily against him, which alleviated his worry somewhat.

Naruto pouted into those glowing red orbs. "Hey, it was my turn to save you, you know."

Sasuke stared at him. "… We're taking _turns_?"

"Sure. Why not?" The saving thing did not bother him as much as it once had, but twice in a row left him a little sore all the same.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll let you save me next time."

"Damn right you will."

Sasuke decided Naruto was feeling well enough to run on his own so he let him go. His lover had always had amazing recuperative abilities. "Hurry up. We're almost to the center."

Naruto frowned, confused. "What's in the center?"

"Hopefully Kain, because I'm going to kick his ass!" Sasuke seethed.

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, count me in!"

-

Saburo felt someone approaching and looked up. A small smile stretched over his lips. "Well, well. I expected you here sooner, little ninja."

The person stepped into the garden and Saburo gasped in surprise.

He had expected Uchiha Sasuke. He had not expected to see the masked man he'd met in the bar a few days earlier.

Saburo's heart fell just a notch further. "… You're Hatake Kakashi, aren't you?" he asked, at last putting the clues together. He remembered Yume's description from her stories—why hadn't he noticed before? Had he been that drunk?

Kakashi gazed dully back, though inwardly he was just as surprised. The long-haired man was sweating from concentration and surrounded by many glowing talisman papers, but it was definitely the guy he had met before. Kakashi realized that he should have suspected, but he hadn't. "And you're Saburo."

The other man sighed loudly. "Unfortunately."

"And Kain was the master you spoke of."

Saburo winced, remembering all he had said that night. "Also unfortunate."

"Then why are you doing this?" Kakashi had to ask. "You admitted yourself that Kain doesn't care about you. So why continue to serve him?"

Saburo smiled sadly. "It's sad, but it's all I have left, the connection that I have with him." He stood in deliberate, fluid movements and faced the gray-haired man. "I haven't forgotten our meeting before," he admitted in a softer tone. "It's been in my thoughts often. I'm sorry that things have to come to this." Kakashi's words had comforted him, though he knew he would never be able to give into his advice. Saburo believed without a doubt that he was used goods.

"Yeah," Kakashi answered soberly. "Me too." Though sad, Saburo was clearly determined to go through with this, and so the Jounin prepared himself for a long fight.

It began just as Sasuke and Naruto reached the garden.

TBC.

1. This was written before chapter 346 came out, but I actually gave some thought to changing this before I posted it. However, I'm going to stick with my previous assumption that Naruto will eventually perfect this jutsu and contain it so it doesn't, you know, end up killing him.


	14. Rainy Day Man

Chapter Fourteen: Rainy Day Man

_Ever since I can remember  
__Just like a brother you've been strong and true  
__Always been the one to see me through  
_- Rainy Day Man, Sailor Moon (English vocal)

* * *

"Report!" The Fifth Hokage's eyes did not stray from the violet shape that enveloped a good seventy-five percent of the village she had sworn to protect. It was a square-shaped holy barrier, made to keep those inside trapped and everyone else out.

"Among the sixty-five people inside, we believe Kakashi and the others are among them," the ANBU reported.

"But is it Kain?" Tsunade demanded.

"We do not know, Hokage-sama," the ANBU admitted.

"Well find out!"

"Ye… Yes!" The masked shinobi quickly vanished.

Tsunade gazed at the barrier hard. No one had been able to break inside.

"Yo!" said a familiar voice behind her, and for once, Tsunade was relieved to hear it.

"Jiraiya."

Her old teammate came to stand beside her. "Looks like we're having some problems, princess," Jiraiya remarked mildly.

"Oh, well, you know," Tsunade answered testily. "There's this guy trying to kill your student."

Jiraiya looked skyward. "Who _hasn't_ tried to kill Naruto?"

Tsunade found herself smirking at that. "Any ideas?"

This amused the hermit. "You're asking for help?"

"Jiraiya…"

Jiraiya held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay! Well, I think it can be managed, if we work together. What do you say, for old time's sake?"

Tsunade nodded. "Let's do it."

Naruto was in there. She didn't have a choice.

-

Naruto and Sasuke emerged on the scene just as the fighting began. They watched as their sensei dodged streams of fire that the long-haired man called forth from his talismans.

"Stay back, you two," Kakashi ordered, able to tell the teens had arrived without looking. "I'll handle this."

"Oh?" Saburo looked amused. "That's very Samurai, for a ninja."

"Ninja are capable of honor."

"Oh, I know." Kakashi watched as Saburo gathered more talismans to him, the papers peeling off his skin and floating in the air around him. He could feel the man's chakra building as he did so. "You see, I have heard Yume's stories about you as well. She was very good at remembering all of your techniques and abilities."

Kakashi tensed. It hadn't occurred to him that Yume had been _that_ thorough in her retellings. "Is that so?"

Saburo nodded with a gleam in his eyes. "I know why you're called Copy Ninja Kakashi. Sharingan Kakashi. How long have you been using your eye? Ten, twenty minutes? That's not nearly long enough to drain you of strength though. And I really don't have the time at my leisure.

"Still, I know how it works. You're able to read your enemy's moves and copy them, Kakashi-san. But, I wonder…" Saburo titled his head, a look of childish curiosity on his face. "Can you read the moves of someone who isn't a shinobi? Someone who doesn't use jutsu?"

"I can't copy talismans, no," Kakashi answered.

"Perhaps you'll have to use that lightning jutsu you taught the boy." Saburo glanced at Sasuke. "A lot of good that did you, eh? In the end, he didn't listen to a word you said, and you passed down your one original technique to him. That must have been disappointing…"

Sasuke's teeth clenched at the jibe, but it was Naruto who responded.

"Shut up, you long-haired, prissy bastard!"

Saburo blinked comically. "… Prissy?"

"Sasuke's way stronger than you!" Naruto went on angrily. "We're not disappointed in him at all!"

Sasuke stared at his lover along with Kakashi and Saburo. _There he goes, shooting off his mouth again and saying dumb things… _Still, it was rather touching. Even if it was with a close friend like Jiraiya, Naruto couldn't stand people saying a bad word against him.

Naruto continued. "So what if he joined Orochimaru? He could have killed me when we fought the last time, but he didn't! He helped us defeat that bastard Orochimaru! So… So…"

Kakashi smiled at his students. _I guess they're kind of cute like this too…_ "You're right, Naruto. We're not disappointed in Sasuke. We're just glad he's back."

Naruto grinned and posed with a thumbs-up. "Yeah, yeah!"

Sasuke looked back and forth between them, too astonished to speak. _They're such idiots…_ But they were wonderful idiots. _His_ idiots.

Then, Saburo's smile softened. "I can see now why Sekai believes in all of you so much."

Naruto blinked. "Aniki?" Where was his brother anyway?

"Let's see if that faith is unfounded." The fighting started up again, this time with Saburo calling upon the power of lightning. Kakashi avoided every onslaught and was managing to get closer to the long-haired man.

"Why isn't Kakashi-sensei using any jutsu?" Naruto asked, eyes intent on the match. He had never seen a talisman user fight before, not even Sekai, not really. Saburo was impressive; he called forth one attack after another with quick succession, his feet moving along the ground fluidly as if he were dancing.

"He doesn't want to," Sasuke said, darkly. "He's holding back."

Naruto looked at his lover worriedly. "But why?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know."

At that moment, the last four members of their party arrived.

-

Tenten bent over, panting, as she returned to her teammates. Gai, Lee, and Neji were inspecting the kekkai keeping them from entering. They had just returned from the Sand Village today and discovered this.

"They think Kakashi's team is inside!" the girl reported.

Neji nodded. "Like we thought. That Kain guy's finally made his move."

"Naruto-kun and the others will be alright," Lee said with certainty, though there was worry in his round eyes.

"Of course! Kakashi is with them," Gai said firmly.

"It's shrinking," Neji noted.

Lee blinked. "What is?"

"The barrier. It's shrinking. The chakra currents are also becoming weaker." Neji folded his arms over his chest. "The user must be conserving energy for some other purpose."

Gai grinned. "Kakashi's making him nervous."

-

Sekai gasped as he took in the scene in front of him, coming to stop beside his little brother. "Saburo-kun…" _So it was just you after all... _His chest constricted painfully. _Kain told you to do this, didn't he?_

Naruto studied his brother's face and the worry clearly etched on his features. _He cares about this guy,_ the ninja realized. Then he noticed what Sekai was wearing. "Aniki, why are you in a girl's kimono?"

Sasuke sneered. "You look even more girly than usual, deviant."

"Sasuke!" Naruto complained.

"I like it," Sai said.

Sekai sniffed and looked at them all pleadingly. "Is this _really_ the time to discuss my wardrobe?"

Sakura glared in their direction, raising her fist threateningly. "He's right, this is serious!"

Naruto winced. "Sorry."

-

"Why are you doing this?" Kakashi asked as they fought.

"I told you already," Saburo responded. "This is all I have left!"

His family was dead, killed mysteriously in the night, probably by Kain himself. Kain had raised him and given him power. The greatest and most important figure in his life. It was either love or hate him, and Saburo had decided on both.

"It's not too late," the ninja said. "You're not like him."

"Not like him?" Saburo laughed strangely. "You don't know me at all."

Kakashi shook his head. "I don't need to. I can read people well, and you're not an evil person. You're just caught up in something you think you can't control."

"What is the nature of evil? To destroy? To kill? I've done those things, and more, as my master's student." There was a cold, haunted look in Saburo's eyes.

"You don't have to do this!" Kakashi urged. Sasuke was right; he didn't want to fight Saburo. Saburo was just a puppet of Kain's, a plaything, a pawn. Kakashi could tell Saburo, in his heart, didn't want to do this. "You can still change your fate."

"Stop it! You're wrong! It's too late, much too late…"

Kakashi finally got into Saburo's personal space, but his kunai was blocked by a sword the long-haired man called into life from his talismans.

"No!" the ninja cried angrily. "Don't you see? That's what he wants you to think! That's how he controls you!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Saburo spat. "I'm… I'm not like Sekai! I'm not strong enough to change my path!"

-

_Saburo was there when Yume had her first vision of Uzumaki Naruto. The white-haired girl had run downstairs without assistance—it had been a long time since she had really needed one of them to lead her around the house—and had found Sekai in the kitchen with unerring accuracy. _

"_Sekai! I had a dream about a boy who looked just like you!" Yume cried._

_The fifteen year old Sekai turned away from the stew Saburo had been showing him how to make, looking at his best friend with confusion. "A dream, or a Dream?"_

"_A Dream dream! A vision, I mean. I'm sure of it. He looked exactly like you, and his name was Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."_

_Saburo watched as Sekai's large blue eyes widened in shock—and with something else. "N-Naruto? Are you sure?"_

_Yume nodded frantically. "I'm positive! Do you know who that is?"_

_Sekai gulped loudly, tears building in his eyes and a small smile stretching his lips. "Naruto… is my little brother. Naruto's… alive," he said slowly, as if tasting the reality of the words, from a past he'd believed lost forever. "Yume-chan, tell me everything you saw, please! I need to know everything!"_

_Yume gathered her thoughts quickly, surprised by the frantic edge in Sekai's voice. "Well, Naruto-kun is a ninja-in-training in the Fire Country, though not extremely successful. He couldn't pass the final exam the first time around and was really depressed over it… It seems he's very lonely and only has one real friend, his teacher named Iruka…"_

_As they listened to the girl describe what she'd seen, Saburo saw something slowly growing in Sekai's eyes from that day onward, something that had secretly worried Kain a great deal when he finally noticed it as well. With every new tale, Sekai fell more deeply in love with Naruto and his friends, and with that love came strength. A new purpose. _

_Hope._

_Saburo saw that light and was envious of it, for it was something he could never have. _

-

This wasn't right. Sekai was sure of it. Saburo was fighting differently than usual, though he could not think immediately of what it was. His motions were as fluid and graceful as always, something Sekai himself had never quite managed to learn, and the elemental powers swirling around his body was customarily powerful.

Then he noticed it, in Saburo's eyes, and a terrible fear burst into his heart.

_He wants to die, _Sekai realized.

"Sekai," Sai spoke, trying to get his attention, but Sekai couldn't look away from Saburo.

_I… I have to stop this!_

Before anyone could stop him, he leapt forward into the fray just as Saburo threw more fire in Kakashi's direction.

"Saburo!" he cried tearfully, having to dodge the fire himself to get through.

The long-haired man blinked at the boy in surprise. "Sekai, what are you…?"

"Sekai, get back!" Kakashi shouted.

"Aniki!" Naruto tried to run after him but Sasuke caught his arm in an iron-like grip.

Saburo erected a wall of fire around himself, noticing the boy was heading straight toward him. "Get back, Sekai! This isn't your fight!"

Sekai paused, but only for a second. "I… I won't let you do this!" he yelled and burst through the flames.

"Aniki!!" Naruto cried again in fright, at the same time Sai shouted, "Sekai!" The ANBU looked like he was barely holding himself back.

"Idiot," Sasuke and Yume murmured in unison, though neither was in the mood to notice.

-

"_Again!" Kain urged._

"_I can't!" Sekai wailed tearfully. _

_Saburo watched from the sidelines, remembering a training session like this one from his own childhood. He felt himself sympathizing deeply with the little boy. Sekai was only seven years old…_

"_Feel the energy flow around you," Kain said, not for the first time. He was frustrated with having to repeat himself. "Let yourself go. Don't think about it, just feel it!"_

"_I can't!" Sekai said again. "I don't know what you're talking about! I can't feel anything!" _

_Kain sighed and threw a Lightning talisman at Sekai. It was powered low and only gave the boy a light shock, but it was well enough to hurt and make his crying increase._

"_I'll keep doing that every time you refuse to listen to me. Now try again!"_

_Sekai would try, and fail. Kain would give him another shock. Sekai kept trying, because he had no other choice if he wanted the man to stop hurting him._

_At last, Kain huffed and turned away, back into the direction of their home. "Useless piece of trash…"_

_Saburo watched him go, drinking silently from his bottle of sake. When their master disappeared into the trees, losing sight of them, Saburo walked over to the crying child and knelt beside him. _

_Sekai flinched and scrambled away from him. "Stay away!"_

"_Kai-chan, it's me." Saburo smiled gently and held out his hand for the boy to see, as if he were a frightened animal. _

"_Saburo…" Sekai sniffed tearfully. "Why's he so mean to me?"_

_Saburo glared over his shoulder, in the direction Kain had gone. "Oh, he just hasn't had sex in a few months. I think it's getting to him."_

"_Sex? What's that?"_

_Saburo laughed softly. "I'll explain it to you later." He crawled forward, slowly so as not to startle the boy, and titled his face upward. He leaned down and wiped the tears away before gently kissing Sekai's nose. "You can grow stronger, Kai-chan. I did it."_

"_Kain-sama said I was useless," Sekai reminded, sniveling._

"_Well then, prove him wrong. I did; so can you."_

_Sekai blinked. "Really?"_

_Saburo nodded. "Really really. A thousand reallys." _

_Slowly, Sekai began to smile. "O-Okay… I will."_

_Saburo smiled back. "That's a good boy. Now, let's get you cleaned up so Yume-chan doesn't know how bad it was this time…"_

_-_

Sekai burst threw the flames onto the other side, a little scorched but unscathed for the most part. He was also dripping wet.

_He reflexively activated the water talismans around his body, shielding himself_, Saburo realized. _He's never been able to do that before. It's a high-level ability…_ He took a step backward. "Sekai…"

"Please, stop!" Sekai jumped, unheeding the fact that Saburo still had a sword in his hand and could raise it to defend himself. But instead of attacking him, Sekai wrapped his arms around the man's waist and held on tight.

Shocked, the fire shield around them evaporated. Saburo stared down at the boy in wonder.

"Please, Saburo, stop!" Sekai cried, openly sobbing now. "Please… Please, nii-chan."

Saburo gaped at the title. Sekai had never called him that before. "Kai-chan," he protested, inadvertently using the nickname he'd had for Sekai when he was little.

"I know you don't like me very much," Sekai spoke, his face pressed against the cloth of Saburo's robes. "But please, you have to stop."

Slowly, almost afraid, Saburo sat his hand atop the boy's thick hair. "I don't hate you, Kai-chan. I never did." Then he realized why Sekai would think that. "I didn't really leave because of you. Kain was just pissing me off more than usual…" It had been unfair of him to use Sekai as an excuse, claiming that Kain was using Sekai as a replacement. Saburo had known perfectly well that their master was using Sekai even more than he was using Saburo.

"I love you, nii-chan. You've always looked out for me. Please, don't leave me." Sekai looked up at him desperately. "You can stay here. Everyone will forgive you. You can have a normal life here with us. It'll be okay, I promise."

"Kai-chan…"

"Please, Saburo. Please, nii-chan. I… I can't watch you die."

Saburo winced. He had never known Sekai cared this deeply for him. He had never realized just how much he cared for Sekai in turn. The boy was important to him. Sekai was his brother in torment. They suffered from the same pain and hardships inflicted by Kain.

He had only been thinking of himself, not about what Sekai would feel watching him die. The blond had such a tender heart, he should have realized…

But…

Gently, Saburo brushed Sekai's tears away and kissed him on the nose. "You look really good in this," he said, motioning to the kimono.

Sekai's eyes widened. "Saburo…"

Saburo smiled. "I'm sorry, Kai-chan. I hope one day you can forgive me." With that, he slammed his fist hard into Sekai's jaw, sending the boy flying away.

_Please forgive me… because I can't forgive myself._

-

"ANIKI!" Naruto raced forward to his brother, but Sai beat him there, catching the talisman user in midair.

Sai cradled Sekai possessively and inspected the wound. The blond's lip was bleeding and his eyes were closed. "He'll be alright," he told Naruto. "He's just unconscious."

"Let me see him," Sakura urged and knelt down in order to heal the wound.

Naruto sighed, relieved, before standing, anger filling his entire being. He stepped toward Saburo.

Sasuke grabbed his arm again. "No. Kakashi said he would handle this."

"Fuck that!" Naruto yelled at him. "Did you see what he just did?!"

"Yes, I did, and that's exactly why you shouldn't fight him!" Sasuke yelled back. "You're not thinking clearly!"

"I'm thinking clearly enough to kill him!"

"But Sekai wouldn't want you to do that!" Sasuke knew it was hypocritical to tell Naruto not to seek out vengeance when he himself had made it his lifelong purpose. But Naruto was different than him. Sasuke had promised to protect him, and if that included protecting the blond from himself, then so be it.

Naruto blinked. That was the first time Sasuke had ever said his brother's name. Usually he just insulted him. It deflated his anger immediately when he realized Sasuke was right. Sekai wouldn't want him to get revenge for him. He'd done what he did because he cared for Saburo.

Naruto turned back to the combatants. "Kakashi-sensei, kick his ass!!"

Kakashi paid him no mind, furious as well. Sekai may have been kind of annoying sometimes, but he was a part of their group now, and Kakashi had wanted to protect all of them.

He had the Raikiri crackling in his hand without a second thought.

Saburo smiled at the sight of Kakashi moving for him with the intent to kill. _At last, it's over…_

He closed his eyes and didn't move.

Kakashi noticed.

Instead of attacking with the Raikiri, he jumped behind Saburo, pinned his arms, and slammed the long-haired man into the ground.

Saburo struggled, but Kakashi held firm. "It's over," the Jounin announced.

"No!" Saburo tried to pry his arms loose. "Kakashi-san, please, finish it!"

"What are you running away from?!" Kakashi demanded angrily.

"Please…" he begged.

"You still have things to be grateful for too! Why do you want to throw them away?"

"I have nothing!"

Kakashi punched him, then grabbed Saburo by the collar and looked him dead in the eye with his Sharingan. "Yes, you do! Don't you understand why Sekai tried to stop you? He tried to get you to see that you're wrong! He and Yume care about you!"

Saburo closed his eyes against his tears. "No…"

"That's why you hurt him, right? You couldn't take the fact that someone cared about you, not because of what you could do for them, but just for who you are!"

"We _do_ care about you, Saburo-kun," Yume spoke up from the sidelines. "You're our beloved big brother. You've always been there for us when we needed someone to stick up for us. Now, let us stick up for you. Let us take care of you now."

Saburo looked at the blind girl. "Yume-chan…"

Yume smiled. "It's not too late to change. I know you want redemption, in your heart. You want to be free. But the only one who can free you from your chains is yourself."

"I can't… I'm not strong enough…"

"Oh? That's not the Saburo-kun _I_ know." Yume shook her head. "The Saburo-kun I know is strong enough to talk back to Kain-sama without fear of retribution. He is unafraid to be kind to Sekai and I. He ran away from Kain once. He may have returned, but he made the choice. You can make it again, Saburo-kun. This time, it can be forever. You can believe in Naruto-kun and the others too. It's okay."

"I can't…"

"Prove Kain wrong, Saburo," Kakashi said, more gently.

Saburo glanced at him, noticing the ninja's anger had gone.

Kakashi smiled. "It's okay. It'll be okay. I promise."

Slowly, Saburo shut his eyes. He sagged against the earth and cried silently.

Kakashi remained on top of him, offering a solid, comforting presence for the talisman user.

The maze deteriorated around them as Jiraiya and Tsunade finally managed to break through it. Shinobi rushed in, only to find the excitement already over.

TBC. God, that was emotionally draining to write. Give me some love!


	15. I Want To Break Free

Author's Note: I'm so sorry. This should have been uploaded last week, but for some reason I couldn't get anything to upload on this site. Anyway, here it is! Enjoy.

Chapter Fifteen: I Want To Break Free

Naruto was pacing the main entrance room of the hospital, his angry expression and mannerisms making many of the medical staff nervous. They knew who he was of course; he had been there so many times it was hard not to remember Uzumaki Naruto, and his friends.

It had been three hours since the kekkai had been broken down and they were escorted to the hospital, but still there was nothing. No news. Nothing at all about the state of his brother. No one could tell him anything and he was afraid Sakura's preliminary analysis was off—though if he were thinking logically he would have realized that was impossible; Sakura knew what she was talking about. But Naruto wasn't thinking straight and he was afraid they were keeping something from him so he wouldn't get upset.

_Well, it's not working! I'm upset anyway!_

Sai had taken off after the first hour of waiting. Naruto hadn't noticed him leave at first, but when he did, he felt particularly abandoned. Sakura was helping with the healing, Yume had been left in the care of Shizune, Jiraiya had taken off when all the excitement was over, Kakashi, Tsunade, and Sasuke were guarding Saburo and waiting for him to wake up…

Naruto cursed darkly. Sasuke was more cool-headed, Naruto understood that, but they were _both_ still genin. So why was Sasuke getting special treatment? It wasn't fair! They could at least let him wait with Sekai. He was family, right? They were supposed to allow that sort of thing!

Unless there was something really, truly wrong with Sekai… Everything Naruto thought kept leading him back to that.

Sasuke's deep, nasal voice broke through his thoughts. "He's awake."

Naruto looked up hopefully. "Aniki?"

Sasuke winced visibly. _I_ _should have phrased that more carefully._ "No. The other one."

The blond immediately deflated. "Oh."

Sasuke walked closer and tugged gently on Naruto's wrist, not caring that the staff and other patients were watching with interest. Naruto was his only worry. "Come on. Tsunade says you can hear what he has to say." She didn't have to allow Naruto to hear anything; but it was a kindness on her part, since Saburo was so close to Sekai, and had been the one to hurt the cross-dresser. Hopefully Saburo would reveal something interesting about Kain…

Naruto seemed to understand that. Slowly, he nodded. "Okay." He took hold of Sasuke's hand in turn and they walked down the hallway like that.

"I feel silly," Sasuke protested, though he didn't try to break away.

"Don't care," Naruto replied uncaringly and Sasuke recognized why.

Naruto just needed to touch him then, for reassurance that everything was alright. He was worried about Sekai, angry at Saburo, and just _needed_ him there, physically.

_I'll talk to him later,_ Sasuke promised silently and gave the blond's hand a squeeze.

They walked inside the room Saburo was being kept in. Kakashi sat at the talisman user's bedside in a chair while Tsunade stood further away, next to the window. Saburo, his clothing replaced for a hospital gown, was propped up with pillows and his long hair bound in a loose braid. He looked a little drowsy still—Kakashi had mentioned his behavior to Tsunade and the Hokage had given him something to calm his nerves and help him sleep for a while.

Saburo glanced at the teens but otherwise gave no reaction.

"Where is he?" Tsunade asked without further ado.

"In an abandoned monastery a few miles west from here," Saburo answered immediately. "He won't be there now though. I was supposed to return by a previously specified time. If for whatever reason I became delayed, Kain would naturally depart."

"Would he come to rescue you?" Kakashi asked, seemingly bored, but internally he tensed.

Saburo snorted derisively. "I told you what he's like, Kakashi-san. From his point of view, he taught me everything I need to know to survive, so if I couldn't, then I wouldn't be worth saving."

Naruto remembered his brief meeting with Kain weeks earlier. He had been willing to kill Yume in order to made Sekai suffer. He had so little concern for the children he had 'raised.'

Naruto's anger grew. _Yeah, that's right… Kain is the real enemy here. He's the one that needs to pay for all of this._

Sasuke noticed this. Silently, he put his free hand on the back of his lover's neck and rubbed his fingers into the skin.

Naruto blinked at him inquisitively, not understanding what Sasuke was doing. A moment later he realized how relaxed he suddenly felt, because of the touch.

Sasuke smirked lightly as Naruto leaned a little into his touch, successfully distracting Naruto from his anger.

"Do you know what his plans are?" Tsunade continued on, ignoring the lovers' public display.

"Today, I was merely stirring the pot, as it were," Saburo admitted. "I wasn't necessarily supposed to cause damage to any of you. Get in, create some chaos, and get out again." Trying to get Kakashi to kill him had been entirely his own idea. "It angered him that his injury had given you so much free time. And without Yume-chan around, he no longer had a way to observe you from afar." The long-haired man smirked nastily. "Old bastard didn't think about that when he tried to kill her, did he?"

"Where will he go?" Tsunade asked.

Saburo shrugged. "I'm not at all sure. Since I'll not be returning," here he glanced nervously at Kakashi, who nodded for him to continue, "well, this does decrease his numbers once again."

"Would he try teaming up with someone?" Sasuke asked suddenly. "Like the Akatsuki?" Or rather, what was left of them. The Akatsuki had their own ambition—Orochimaru had filled him in on it—but they might not mind teaming up with Kain if it could further their goals in some way. If he wasn't a weakling, that is.

Beside him, Naruto tensed at the mention of the group who had given them so much trouble in the past.

Sasuke realized why and rolled his eyes. "I'm _not_ asking because of Itachi. I'm just making a point. They're still out there and still a threat."

Tsunade nodded. "You're right. We haven't forgotten about them, Sasuke. But we can only focus on one evil at a time."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about Kain teaming up with anyone," Saburo finally answered. "He doesn't… play well with others. It's not his style. He likes working alone and became powerful enough to do so."

"A lone wolf," Kakashi murmured.

Saburo quirked a small smile. "Yeah, and he even resembles one too." He quickly sobered as he went on. "Kain's power, in essence, comes from his ability to do things alone. Even the Akatsuki need each other for their plans to succeed. Kain thinks that sort of thing is contemptuous. If there's one thing he's lacking, it isn't pride. He has enough of that to spare."

"You know what they say—Pride comes before the fall," Kakashi remarked.

The Talisman user snorted. "_They_ obviously haven't met Kain. Pride… isn't a weakness for him. It's a strength. He sees himself as this great evil, because he has no ambition for world domination or anything like that. He considers that mundane. Truly, he just wants to destroy, to obliterate all who oppose him, to be the very core of evil. I suppose you can call that his purity."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "How can that be called purity?"

"You're thinking too three-dimensionally," Saburo responded. "There are all kinds of purity. Those who know pure love, those who know pure hate, and those who know neither."

Naruto's face scrunched up in classic confusion. "I don't get it."

Saburo smiled at him, though hesitantly. He felt guilty about hurting Sekai and wouldn't have been surprised if Naruto was angry at him still. Honestly, he was surprised at how quickly Kakashi seemed to have forgiven him. "It's difficult to explain, I suppose."

"Especially for someone like you, Naruto," Sasuke remarked, having caught onto Saburo's meaning.

Naruto glared at his lover. "What's that supposed to mean, huh? Another crack at my intelligence?!"

Sasuke smiled and rubbed the back of Naruto's neck again. "For once, no. I meant that because you're a good person, it's harder for you to understand."

Naruto relaxed slightly, though he still looked at Sasuke sourly. He wasn't sure if what Sasuke said was an insult or a compliment.

-

It was late when Sasuke felt the weight next to him in bed leave his side.

Naturally, Naruto wouldn't leave the hospital until he knew for certain that Sekai would be alright, even though Tsunade had reassured he suffered only from minor wounds, so Sasuke had Sakura pull some strings for them. She got them a room adjacent to Sekai's for the night. Naruto had seemed calmer after he was at last let in to see Sekai, but the older blond hadn't woken up, and Sasuke knew this worried him greatly.

Sasuke opened his eyes and sat up. Naruto stood in front of the window, shirtless, staring outside with a hard expression on his face.

"Naruto?"

The blond didn't turn around. "Sasuke… I—I haven't wanted to kill someone this badly before. Not even Orochimaru. Not even those Akatsuki guys when I thought Gaara was dead. If you hadn't resealed the Kyuubi, Sasuke, I don't think I would have control of him right now."

Sasuke nodded. He had seen Naruto that angry. It was more than frightening.

"Sasuke," Naruto continued wretchedly. "It's my _brother_. It's Aniki and Yume-chan and Saburo. How can… How can this asshole have gotten away with destroying their lives for so long? It's… It's not right!"

Sighing, Sasuke eased out of bed and padded along the cold floor in bare feet to Naruto's side. He rubbed the blond's back gently in comfort. "I know, Naruto. Things like this aren't ever fair. It's just the way they are. Bad things happen to good people."

Naruto finally looked at him. "But why?!"

"I don't know," answered Sasuke truthfully. "But, I do know that that's why people like you exist. To protect those who cannot defend themselves. To _save_ people, Naruto." _Like you saved me._

Naruto leaned forward, his head resting against the cool glass of the window. "Yeah, well I don't feel like I'm doing such a great job."

"You're doing the best you can, total idiot," Sasuke assured, twining his arms around the blond's waist and holding him close. "That's all you can do. Don't feel guilty because you think you could do more. No one can expect more of you than who you are."

Naruto made an unconvinced sound. "I guess…"

"And remember, I'm here with you," Sasuke added, shifting uncomfortably at how corny it sounded. He meant every word he said though. "You're not alone."

That made Naruto smile a little. "Promise?"

Sasuke smirked and kissed the side of his neck. "Of a lifetime," he finished.

Naruto giggled slightly. He turned around in Sasuke's arms to face him and kiss him gently. "You got me too, you know."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yes, despite my best efforts."

"Oi."

"I'm joking." Playfully, he licked Naruto's chin, smiling wider when Naruto gulped loudly in reaction. He kissed the spot as if in apology, trailing down to the blond's neck.

Naruto moaned softly and pulled the Uchiha flush against him. "I, er, don't think I'm gonna go to sleep anytime soon."

Sasuke chuckled. "Then I'll see what I can do about _relaxing_ you."

Naruto giggled. "You're so _thoughtful_."

"One does what one must."

-

The medic ninja finished her rounds checking on the patient and left the room, closing the door behind her.

After she was gone, the window slid open and Sai crept back into the room.

He supposed that it wasn't fair for him to be there and Naruto not to be, but Sai also did not really care. Sekai needed rest and Sai was quiet. He just needed to be in the room with his new friend. Naruto needed the rest too, and hopefully he would allow himself to.

Sai returned to his silent vigil beside Sekai, sitting on the chair nearby and watching him sleep peacefully. Thanks to Sakura, his lip was no longer cut and swollen, and there were no burns left. He looked to be sleeping peacefully, not at the assistance of whatever drugs he'd been given. Sekai's chest rose slowly as he breathed and Sai watched the motion as if it were the most fascinating thing on Earth.

Sai didn't know what he was feeling. He had felt scared, he thought, watching Sekai race into the fray back in the garden to stop the fighting. Yet something had stayed him from following, from grabbing Sekai and pulling him back. Something had kept him from keeping Sekai out of danger. Something had told him not to interfere.

And now, because of that, watching Sekai lying prone in bed, he felt… Was it guilt? Yes. That sounded right. He felt like it was his fault. That if he had acted, Sekai wouldn't have been hurt.

_Why_ hadn't he? Sai didn't understand. He had come to care for Sekai very, very much. More than he thought he could ever describe.

So why hadn't he tried to stop him?

Sai's head snapped up when the body in bed stirred. He watched as Sekai frowned then opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling blankly.

Sekai wiggled, feeling his torso brush against some uncomfortable fabric. He groaned. "Damn it, they took my underwear this time."

Sai found himself smiling a little. "Sekai," he said, to get the boy's attention.

Sekai turned toward him and smiled back sleepily. "Hey, gorgeous. How're you doin?'" he asked, his speech slurring a little.

"I am… doing fine." Hesitantly, Sai reached out and brushed the blond's cheek. "Do you remember what happened?"

Sekai frowned and he began listing off what he recalled. "The maze. I showed you that new trick merging ninjutsu with talismans. Kakashi-sama was fighting Saburo…" He sighed shakily, fearing the worse. "Is he dead?"

Sai shook his head. "He is not."

Relieved, Sekai's smile returned. "That's good." Where Saburo was at the moment could be worried about later. For now, Sekai chose to just be pleased that Saburo was still among the living.

They were quiet for a moment. Sai's thoughts returned to his earlier confusion.

"Sekai…"

Sekai blinked, looking back at him. "Yeah?"

"Don't… Don't ever do that again," Sai said slowly. "I… I don't know why I let you do it, but please, don't do it again."

Sekai bit his lip. "Did I scare you?"

Sai nodded.

"I'm sorry, Sai," Sekai said guiltily. "I didn't mean to make you worry." Slowly, he sat up and eased his legs over the side of the bed. He was disgusted to confirm his earlier suspicions—not only was his underwear gone, but he was wearing a hospital gown. "Were my clothes ruined?" He _had_ jumped through fire after all.

"Sakura said they were not beyond repair," Sai told him. He wondered if he should make Sekai lay back down.

But Sekai grinned impishly and stepped off the bed. He hitched up the end of the gown and straddled Sai's hips, sitting in his lap. He wrapped his arms around Sai's neck and nuzzled their cheeks together like a contented cat.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

Sai blushed brightly. That urge to remove Sekai's clothes came back. He was nearly there, all Sai had to do was undo the bindings on the gown and slip it off. It didn't help that Sekai wasn't at all bashful about this.

Then again, that was natural for him. Sai thought it was one of his many endearing traits.

"Thank you, though," Sekai went on. "I didn't want Saburo die. Thanks for not stopping me."

That was when Sai thought he finally understood why. Perhaps, though he was afraid, he knew that it was what Sekai wanted to do. He'd wanted to save his friend so Sai had let him.

He thought it meant he believed in Sekai.

Sai hugged the smaller boy tightly. "I was very worried."

"I know." Sekai sat back and smiled at him. "Hey, am I making you uncomfortable?"

Sai blinked. "Uncomfortable?"

"I'm not wearing any underwear," Sekai reminded playfully, winking flirtatiously.

Sai's blush renewed. "Yes, I'm aware of that."

"So, am I?"

Sai shook his head. "No… Did you want to have sex now?" he asked, because it was something he had been wondering about.

_I hadn't expected him to ask it straight out like that…_ But he thought he should have. Sekai giggled and blushed as well. "Um. No, I don't want my first time to be in a hospital. It just sounds weird."

Sai nodded. "I thought so too."

Sekai grinned widely. "But if the gown's turning you on, I can keep it for later!"

"I like whatever you wear," Sai told him frankly.

That made the blond beam with pride. "Yeah?"

Sai nodded.

They were quiet again for a moment.

"Hey," Sekai spoke up, "do you hear that?"

Slowly, the sound of two familiar voices moaning was coming from across the hall.

Sekai and Sai smiled at each other in bemusement.

"They're really going at it," Sekai noted.

"It sounds that way," Sai agreed.

"They're gonna christen all of Konoha, just watch. The hospital is just the first step. Next they'll be doing it on the floor in Ichiraku's."

"The Hokage tower," Sai added.

Sekai nodded eagerly. "The training grounds."

"The Valley of the End."

"Sure, sure, for nostalgia's sake," Sekai agreed. "The hot springs."

"On the roof."

"On the roof of _this hospital._ They fought here too, yeah?"

"Oh, yes. The fighting arena."

"During an exam, or after?"

Sai thought about that. "Both," he decided.

Sekai nodded with a smirk. "Yeah, they strike me as future exhibitionists."

"Naruto will be known for all time as the Nudist Hokage."

Sekai laughed. "The Loud, Obnoxious Nudist Hokage."

"Indeed."

The moaning went on.

"Where _would_ you like your first time to be?" Sai eventually asked, inquisitively.

Sekai tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… I don't know. I guess, I dunno, I want it to not be impromptu, you know?"

Sai nodded slowly. "I think I understand. You want it to be planned?"

Sekai smiled shyly. "Yeah… There doesn't have to be a candlelight dinner or anything, but, I just want it to be… romantic, I guess."

Sai thought about that. He wondered what he could do that would be "romantic." Then again, he didn't know a lot about romance. He foresaw another trip to the library over this…

"But don't feel pressured!" Sekai added quickly. "I mean, I enjoy all the time I spend with you, Sai."

Sai smiled. "I enjoy the time I spend with you as well."

Sekai beamed happily and leaned forward to kiss him gently. They actually hadn't been kissing a lot; once or twice when the mood was right. In retrospect, he would have never believed he was capable of taking things so slowly. But Sai was important and he wanted to.

Cupping Sekai's cheek with one hand, Sai kissed him back. If anything did happen to Sekai, he wouldn't know what to do. Sekai had become so very dear to him.

-

Saburo could not get back to sleep. Taking pity on him, Kakashi had gone and bought a pack of cards from the gift shop downstairs. They sat playing games until the early hours of the morning.

"You surrendered in order to get us to shut up, didn't you?" Kakashi eventually asked. "Not that you'd decided to give it a shot here."

Saburo winced and set down two cards, picking up two new ones from the deck. His hand improved only slightly. "Well… At the time, yes."

"At the time?"

Saburo gave him a nervous smile. "I'm not going to suddenly start thinking differently overnight, you know."

Kakashi shook his head. "I wouldn't expect you to."

"But… I am willing to give you the chance to prove that I'm wrong," the long haired man said, his voice soft.

Kakashi smiled. "I'm glad. Oh!" His visible eye widened in shock. "I nearly forgot." He reached down and picked up a small, ornately designed flute from the floor. "This was in your robes. It survived unscathed."

Saburo smiled a real smile. "Ah, I was wondering about that!" He accepted the flute gratefully. "Thank you."

"No problem… So, you're a musician too?"

Saburo nodded and gazed at the instrument with a melancholy expression. "Yes… My family was not shinobi, like Sekai's. Mine specialized in flute playing. It was a family tradition. My… My mother was teaching me how to play before… Well, before that old bastard took me in." He held up the flute. "But I kept this. No matter what, I've kept this." His last physical link to the past. His link to his mother, father, and sister. "When I ran away, I returned to my village and found a tutor. Though my relatives did not survive, my family's rival flute playing house _had_. Perhaps I should have more family pride than to go to my family's rivals to learn, but I don't. I just wanted to learn."

Kakashi nodded. "I think that's showing great pride. You wished to continue your family's traditions, no matter what."

Saburo beamed. "You think so?"

"Yes, I really do."

"You're sweet."

Kakashi found himself blushing. "You don't know me well enough. Yume's dreams don't count."

Saburo giggled. "Maybe."

He showed Kakashi his cards. The Jounin ended up having a worse hand than he did.

"Oh dear," the ninja said.

Saburo laughed. "Another round?"

"Yes, please."

TBC.


	16. Because the Night Belongs To Lovers

Chapter Sixteen: Because the Night Belongs to Lovers

* * *

The TV was on, though neither of them was watching it. The volume was low as they talked.

It was the day after Saburo's attack. Everyone had been released from the hospital, fully recovered. Now they had a day off to rest. A happy ending, for now.

Naruto was much calmer today, Sasuke was glad to note as they sat together on the plush couch in the Uchiha's apartment.

It was so peaceful. Sasuke smiled as Naruto put his arm around him. He leaned against Naruto's shoulder, sighing deeply.

_It seems like we've come so far and it's only been a couple of weeks since we first had sex… Now I don't want to do without this closeness ever._

"Hey, Sasuke?"

"Hmm?"

"Say you were able to go back in time three years and you met me when I was twelve. Would you have sex with me?"

Sasuke frowned at the odd question. "… Probably not. You'd be too annoying and I'd probably try to kill you again."

Naruto laughed slightly.

"I'd… be too messed up to see how sweet you are," Sasuke added lowly, hesitantly. "That's why it's best I'm the way I am now, you know?"

Naruto blinked. "You think I'm sweet? Er, that's not what I meant... Like, you now, not your past self. And you went into the past... Only you're your present self, not... Wait, I just forgot what I was thinking about..." He frowned, his face scrunching up as he tried to recollect his thoughts and make them make sense.

Sasuke found himself smiling at the expression. "Well, I guess I would be tempted to then… Though you'd be kind of hard to have sex with. You didn't seem to think about that back then. You were too busy trying to beat me at everything," Sasuke pointed out, laughing softly.

Naruto blushed. _Little does he know… _The first jutsu Naruto had created on his own was the sexy no jutsu after all. He'd been a little pervert as a kid. "Yeah, but… I'm sure you could, um, _convince_ me otherwise…"

Sasuke sat back to stare at him, shocked. "Naruto, did you think about me like that back then?" he asked incredulously.

The blond blushed more deeply. "Erm, well… I was really confused about stuff back then…" He didn't mention that he'd had stronger feelings for Sakura back then either. Before Sasuke had left with Orochimaru, that is. From that day onward, all he had ever been able to think about was getting Sasuke back. "And, well… You looked really good in those shorts…"

Sasuke blushed and continued to stare. "I'm… surprised you thought that way… You really _are_ perverted…"

Naruto laughed sheepishly at that and didn't meet his eye. He couldn't argue, it was true. "And… I always thought you were so good looking… I was jealous…"

Touched, the Uchiha hugged him loosely. "Naruto… You didn't have to feel that way. You look good too."

Naruto blinked wide eyes. "Really?" He didn't think of himself in those kinds of terms. No one had ever told him he was attracted before.

Sasuke nodded. "I… like your whiskers," he admitted uncomfortably. "They're cute."

Naruto flushed and beamed shyly.

"I didn't like you tying me up and impersonating me though, but you did look adorable when you did it," Sasuke added, partially returning to the previous topic of how they used to be.

Naruto laughed at the memory, and didn't mention that he'd done it to get close to Sakura. "Heh heh, well…"

"Although I wouldn't mind the 'tying up' much now…" Sasuke added with a smirk.

Naruto giggled. "I wouldn't mind either!" Then he frowned. "Back then… I was always trying to be better than you, because I wanted to be like you… But I could never seem to measure up. So sometimes I did stupid things. I wish… I'd been able to figure out what I was really feeling for you back then."

"I think… things have turned out the way they were supposed to," Sasuke pointed out slowly. "I mean, we're together now, right?"

Naruto nodded and smiled, squeezing Sasuke in a tight hold. "Yeah."

"I'm… I'm glad we can understand each other so well." Sasuke didn't think a lot of couples could. But he and Naruto… Even though they had misunderstandings, they always gravitated back to each other and figured things out, like an instinct.

"Me too."

Sasuke laid his head down in Naruto's lap and closed his eyes. The blond did this to him occasionally and it looked comfortable. He wasn't surprised to find that it really was.

Naruto smiled and ran his fingers through Sasuke's spiky, ink black locks. "... So you didn't think about me like that at all back then?"

"Well...I knew you were important to me back then but... I didn't know how. I was kind of… distracted and I didn't even understand it myself."

Naruto frowned, remembering why Sasuke had been distracted. "Yeah... I didn't know how either really... I just didn't want to lose you."

Sasuke nodded. "Naruto… You have no idea how glad I am you didn't give up on me. How much I… love you for that or… how hard it was for me to act like I didn't care about seeing you again, that day, after two and a half years… I said some cruel things to you, and I never apologized for it… I just didn't want Orochimaru to figure out the truth. I thought he would use it against both of us. But… It wasn't a whim, Naruto." Far from it. He'd feared he hadn't been very convincing in his show—he'd even gone so far as to hug Naruto.

Naruto smiled down at him. "Bastard, you don't have to apologize for that… I mean, yeah, at the time… After you left, I was really depressed… I cried and I felt hopeless… It took me a long time, but I figured it out eventually." He shrugged. "So, don't worry about it, okay?"

"Naruto…" _It seems all I do is hurt him._ Sasuke felt he was the lowest life form on the planet for making the one he loved cry, more than once.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Really, it's okay. After that meeting, I worked even harder to get stronger! I perfected the Rasengan because of you, you know. Not just so I could fight you… So I could get you back. I wanted you back so much…"

Overwhelmed, Sasuke sat up, pushed Naruto back into the couch and kissed him deeply. They clung to each other for a long moment, thinking the same thing: they had come so close to killing each other. If they had succeeded, they never would have had _this_. That was something terrible beyond description.

"… Would _you_ have sex with my younger self?" Sasuke eventually asked.

Naruto laughed. "In a heartbeat."

"Pervert."

-

Sai finished with his book, sat it down, and picked up the next one to begin reading.

'_The terms romance and romantic are derived from the Latin _romanice_, meaning, "in the Roman manner." Romance is prevalent throughout society in fiction, poetry, music, and the cinema. Romantic love commonly involves a combination of love and sexual desire, but with more emphasis on the emotional aspects of the relationship as opposed to lust. Love, as portrayed in the media, is often considered idealistic in real life…'_

He could vaguely hear Sakura, Sekai, and Yume talking a few feet away. The girls were keeping his blond friend distracted while he read.

After Sekai had mentioned that he wanted his first time "not impromptu" Sai felt it was time to visit the library again. Sekai had told him not to feel pressured, but he was a little. He wanted to make Sekai feel special. He wanted things to be special for him.

So into his reading, he did not hear Rock Lee approach until he was leaning over him, looking at the title of his book. "_What Is Romance_, huh?"

Sai looked up. "Lee-san."

The leotard-wearing boy broke into a large smile. "Oh, Sai-kun, does this mean you're in love?" he asked happily.

Sai blinked at the enthusiasm. He remembered that Yume had once remarked that Sekai loved Rock Lee and Maito Gai; that they made him laugh. "Well… Yes, I suppose I am." He had not been sure, but after reading all these novels on the subject, he was pretty sure that's what he was feeling.

Lee positively beamed. "Is it Naruto-kun's brother?"

Sai was surprised by this as well. "How did you know?"

"Most often you two are seen together. I just guessed."

"I see…" He supposed he did spend a lot of time with Sekai.

"Ohhh, and you're reading up on being romantic, is that right?"

Sai nodded. "Yes… I want to do something special for Sekai. The books have been helpful, but I'm still not certain on what I should do."

"I see! If you like, I can offer a few suggestions."

"You're in love too, Lee-san?" Sai asked, curious.

Lee's smile turned decidedly bashful. "Ah, yes! Even though it happened very recently, my feelings for him are strong!" A lot seemed to have happened on his mission to the Sand Village. It was as if Lee was a new person. He wished he was back with Gaara even now, his mind periodically wandering to what the young Kazekage was up to now and then. It definitely was love.

Sai smiled. "Then perhaps you can help me."

"I would be glad to, Sai-kun!"

Lee's first suggestion was flowers, which was what led them to the Yamanaka flower shop.

"Buy all of them," Lee instructed.

"_All_ of them?" Sai and Ino echoed.

"Yes! One or a dozen flowers are not nearly enough to prove your love for him! You should get as many that translates the volume of your love!"

"And… this worked for you, Lee-san?" Sai asked.

"Oh, yes!" Gaara had been more than surprised at first at Lee's declarations of love, but easily became acclimated to his over the top energy. Lee could see that Gaara had been touched, and Gaara truly appreciated the loving gesture.

Sai nodded slowly. "Well, I suppose I'll go with that then."

Ino shook her head as she rang up Sai's purchase at the register, murmuring to herself about hopeless romantics.

Then Lee suggested Sai should get Sekai something that he would look good in and would suit him.

Sai picked out a pair of blue shoes. They were shiny and had a medium size heel. Sai did not want to get high heels because he didn't know if Sekai could walk in heels.

Then he realized that Sekai probably could. Still, he liked these shoes.

Lee looked perplexed. "Why are you picking girl's shoes? Aren't those hard to train in?" he asked innocently.

"Because he won't wear men's," Sai answered simply.

"Ohhh I understand!! Simply amazing! Uzumaki Sekai must purposefully wear those shoes to increase the difficulty of training and thus increase his payoff. So the genius of Naruto is in the genes as well... Amazing! I should try that one day!"

"Actually, Sekai has a more aesthetic view on the subject," Sai tried to explain, but Lee didn't seem to be listening.

-

The first sight that greeted Sekai when he walked into the apartment was the flowers.

They were rather hard to miss since they covered almost every square inch of Sai's apartment.

Sekai's jaw dropped and he looked at Sai in wonder. "Sai, what's going on?"

Sai began to grow worried. "You don't like them?"

"It's not—wait, you got them for me?" The idea seemed even more odd than the flowers themselves.

Sai nodded. "Yes. Are they not romantic?"

Then Sekai remembered what they had discussed the night before and looked around the room again. Vases full of all assortments of flowers covered every inch of the floor and shelf surface, apart from the kitchen table, where there was a lit candle and two empty plates awaiting food to be served.

"You… did all this for me?" he asked unnecessarily, still wrapping his mind around the idea.

Sai nodded again. "Yes, I did. Have I done something wrong?"

"No! I just… I didn't expect you to go to so much trouble." Sekai smiled nervously. "I made you feel pressured last night, didn't I?"

"No, not at all. I just wanted to do something special for you."

"I see…" Sekai's eyes widened as he remembered something. "Ack! I'll be right back! I need to shave my legs!" The blond maneuvered as well as he could through the flowers on his way to the bathroom.

Sai chased after him through the flowers. "Oh, I don't mind! Come back!"

Sekai paused. "But they're all scratchy, with the little hairs growing back… Trust me, after I shave, they'll be much softer." He blushed deeply, knowing that this suggested that Sai would be touching his legs soon.

Sai managed to reach him. He took Sekai's hand in his. "You really don't have to." He glanced down at Sekai's bare legs appraisingly. Today the blond was back in his normal short blue dress. "They don't look stubbly at all. Don't worry."

Sekai bit his lip apprehensively. "I haven't shaved them in a couple of days…"

"Really, I don't mind." He tugged Sekai's hand, leading him toward the kitchen.

Wincing as he nearly knocked over more than one vase, Sekai allowed himself to be led to the table. Sai ushered him into a chair and pulled out a box he'd hidden earlier in the cupboard. Sekai recognized that particular shape of rectangle as a shoebox.

"You bought me something else?" he asked, surprised again. This whole evening was beginning to leave him more than a little shell-shocked.

Sai smiled. "Yes. You seem surprised. Does all this bother you?" he asked as he sat the box down in Sekai's lap.

"No… I'm just really surprised." He smiled at Sai. "I'm sorry if I seem, well, unenthusiastic. Really, I love you for doing all this."

Sai beamed happily at those words. "It's alright. Please, open it."

Sekai lifted up the lid and peered inside, gasping softly at what was revealed. "Sai…"

"Do you like them?"

Sekai nodded dumbly, eyes on the shoes. They had to be the prettiest pair of shoes he'd ever laid eyes on. His throat constricted, welled up with feeling.

"Can I put them on you?"

More nodding.

Smiling, Sai slipped off Sekai's sandals and put the heels on in their place. He looked up when, as his hands brushed Sekai's feet, the talisman user whimpered softly.

"Are you alright?" Sai asked, concerned.

Sekai's flush renewed. "Yeah… Just a little overwhelmed that you're touching them, I guess…" He smiled at him shyly. "I _do_ like the shoes."

Sai smiled in pleasure. "I'm glad. Would you like me to touch your feet some more?"

"A whole room full of flowers and new shoes… I think you can do whatever you want to me now," Sekai joked lightly.

"You might be surprised by how many things I want to do to you," Sai confessed as he slipped the new shoes back off, one after the other. Sekai's feet were slightly paler than his legs, arched lightly, and reasonably soft. He began to rub one of them gently.

Sekai moaned lightly, biting his lip against the sound. "Have you been fantasizing about me, Sai?" he asked as coyly as he could manage.

The ANBU rubbed the tender skin between Sekai's toes, blushing lightly at the question. "Perhaps…"

"Like what?" Sekai asked eagerly, leaning forward.

"Like… what you look like without your clothes," Sai confessed. "I imagine taking them off." Quite frequently actually.

Sekai smiled, his head tilting to the side. "Well, I wouldn't mind if you did…"

Sai smiled back and began stroking along Sekai's heel. "I imagine you wouldn't."

Giggling, the blond ran the toes of his other foot along Sai's bare waist. "This always drives me crazy. So much visible, yet it doesn't seem like enough. It's always too tempting to just unzip you…"

As he spoke, his foot traveled lower.

"And not just your shirt either," Sekai added with a wink. It seemed he was getting over his shock from earlier.

Sai gasped as the toes caressed his crotch through his pants. He met Sekai's bright, mischievous blue eyes and unzipped his shirt, sliding the black cloth off his shoulders and onto the floor.

Sekai beamed, eyes roaming avidly over the revealed skin. He thought Sai was utterly beautiful and very sexy sitting there at his feet. It was treatment he was definitely not used to.

Then Sai began rubbing his feet in earnest.

**(This chapter has been edited due to the rules and regulations of this site. Though honestly, you can see where the scene goes from here.)**


End file.
